A GROUP of Ryedale thespians have steamed to the rescue of a popular railway which needs £500,000 to repair a vital bridge.

The campaign to renew the vital bridge along the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has been given a boost thanks to The Vale Players, based in Snainton.

They have donated £1,000 to the appeal which brings the amount donated by the public to £109,000. The thespians took time out to make their donation at Grosmont Station before boarding the Moors Railway’s Pullman dining train.

The railway’s Bridge & Wheels appeal was launched at the end of March and seeks to raise £1 million to fund both the renewal of bridge 30, which is more than 150 years old, and the restoration of engine 80135.

The railway has also received a pledge of £300,000 from North Yorkshire County Council towards the cost of renewing the bridge.

This is the second year running that the Vale Players have teamed up with the railway to provide two ‘murder mystery’ themes on board the Saturday evening dining trains that operate between Grosmont and Pickering through June. The themes are a Mamma Mia murder mystery, which took place on June 6 and 13, and a Death of a Pirate murder mystery to be played out on Saturday.

Passenges dining on the train, while eating their four-course meal, through the North York Moors, have to try to solve a ‘who-dunnit’, after one of the characters in the storyline is mysteriously murdered.

Ann Pearson, a member of with the Vale Players, said theywere unanimous in their support for the railway’s appeal. She said: “None of us wants to see the railway close in a couple of years which is highly likely if insufficient funds are found for the renewal of the bridge between Grosmont and Goathland. “That would have a devastating effect to the local area. So we felt the least we could do would be to donate a percentage of our fees from the murder mystery evenings back to the railway to keep this fantastic attraction on track.”

Anyone wishing to support the appeal can find out more at www.nymr.co.uk or by contacting the appeal office, NYMR, 12 Park Street, Pickering, YO18 7AJ, phone 01751 473799.