May 20, 2019 10.03 am This story is over 58 months old

Whopping £47k raised in response to railway club vandalism

They only expected to raise £500
The sight railway enthusiasts were greeted with. Photo: Stamford Model Railway Show

People have raised over £47,000 for a Lincolnshire railway club after their show display was smashed up by vandals.

The scale of the damage rocked the Market Deeping Railway Club when they found it on Saturday, May 18.

Four youths have been arrested and released by Lincolnshire Police in connection with the “horror” vandalism at Queen Eleanor School.

Carefully and painstakingly constructed models had been smashed to pieces, tables checked across the school hall and other items broken.

After finding the damage, the club secretary Brian Norris said that years of work goes into the annual show, which has been running for 12 years.

He said: “Imagine our horror and grief when we were greeted by this scene of absolute devastation.

“Some of our models on display are irreplaceable and whilst money cannot possibly replace the hours of painstaking effort that has been destroyed, we would ask that you make a donation to help us get back on our feet.”

The club’s fundraiser asked for just £500, but they were very surprised to find just a couple of days later that people donated more than £40,000.

The figure is continuing to rise.

Many of the exhibits for the show, which was due to open on Saturday, take tens of hours of precise craftsmanship.