Steam train footplate pass eBay auction for charity

A RARE opportunity to ride on the footplate of a West Somerset Railway steam train is being offered in an internet auction for charity.
The eBay auction, which will start on December 1 and run for 10 days, could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for somebody not already connected with the railway.
Photographer Mark Stothard, of Timberscombe, is auctioning the WSR footplate pass to try to raise at least £1,000 for West Somerset charity CLOWNS.
Mr Stothard said: “My family are indebted to CLOWNS for the help they gave my daughter Kyla when she was little and I want to do all I can to support them.
“I am a steam train enthusiast and when I heard how CLOWNS was losing a lot of grant money from local councils and would struggle to continue delivering their services, I came up with this fund-raising idea.
“As I understand it, these passes hardly ever go outside the confines of the WSR and their staff and volunteer members, so this really could be somebody’s chance of a lifetime to experience riding on a steam engine footplate.”
Mr Stothard approached WSR general manager Paul Conibeare, who agreed to donate the footplate pass for the auction.
Mr Conibeare said: “I was very pleased to be able to support CLOWNS like this when Mark came up with the auction suggestion.
“We all know what terrific and valuable work CLOWNS does with needy young families in communities right across West Somerset.”
CLOWNS co-ordinator Kathy Morton said: “We are facing a real funding gap due to Government cut backs and we need all the help we can get
“Mark’s offer to organise the auction was very welcome and we will put the money it brings in towards continuing our services, which we know are welcomed and valued by the people we help.”
The eBay auction item can be found by following this link: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330057216930

• Our photograph taken on a WSR steam engine shows Kyla Stothard with Kathy Morton and Paul Conibeare. Photograph by Mark the Photographer, ref M1117008. Order photo reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.

Open day for CLOWNS

AN open day was held by CLOWNS to encourage local families to visit the charity and learn about the community services it provides, while having some fun at the same time.
CLOWNS, which stands for Creating Learning Opportunities in WesterN Somerset, provides a service for parents and/or carers and also children in rural isolation and areas of need within West Somerset.
A double deck bus has been converted for play and is used to offer recreational and educational facilities as it travels around the district.
There is also a smaller vehicle which takes equipment for Tumbling Toddler sessions to village halls and is used during the school summer holidays to run play schemes in villages and to take toys from the charity’s toy library to isolated communities.
It also collects clean, safe, salvaged materials from businesses for use in the CLOWNS Scrapstore.
The Playbus also carries information on a range of related services, and helps to maximise the impact of visits by working with other agencies which require rural community access.
CLOWNS relies on raising its own funds and is based at the West Somerset Sports and Leisure Centre, Minehead. Anybody who wants to know more about it can contact co-ordinator Kathy Morton on 01643 707190.

• TOP PHOTO - Enjoying the CLOWNS open day fun are (left to right) Kezia and John Elton, Holly Jones Batley, and Ewan Jones Batley. Photo by Mark the Photographer, ref M1023013. Order photo reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.
• BOTTOM PHOTO - CLOWNS co-ordinator Kathy Morton is pictured with (left to right) Vena Merchant, Jamie Savage, Taylor Campbell, and Xia Furze. Photo by Mark the Photographer, ref M1023006. Order photo reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk.