00:00I'm going to start by saying welcome to Grishnall because six months ago I did wonder how many months, if not years, it might be before we're able to say that.
00:07So after a Herculean effort over the period since the landslip we're finally here.
00:13So please indulge me a little bit in saying thank you to a number of organisations as I go through what I'm about to say.
00:20But I think to start off with though I'd just like to reflect a little bit on what the Seven Valley Railway means to people
00:26because I have been absolutely bowled over, I'm sure I speak for a lot of colleagues here,
00:30and the generosity that has been shown to this right away by our friends and supporters and stakeholders
00:35and just about everybody else in the communities that we interact with.
00:39I have had people come up to me in the street over the last six months and just literally give me money to say
00:44please get the Seven Valley Railway back open again.
00:46And it's been really, really touching to understand just how people feel about this railway.
00:52And it gives us all, I think, a profound obligation to make sure that we continue doing what we're doing.
00:58It's our 60th year this year and we make sure this railway continues to thrive and passes on to generations to come.
01:04That is really, really important.
01:07But in order to get this far, we have had the help of numerous organisations.
01:12And in no particular order, I'm just going to start in reverse order really if you like,
01:16just to thank the people that made today happen.
01:18Because, again, if you'd have asked me even a few weeks ago how we would like to do the reopening,
01:23obviously we wanted to do it in true Seven Valley style, which is as high a profile as possible.
01:28And to do that with a probably, and I hope I don't offend anybody here,
01:31but with the world's most famous locomotive Flying Scotsman is just the icing on the cake.
01:36So I really do have to thank National Railway Museum, Northern Steam Operations and D&B Cargo
01:40for their assistance in making that happen.
01:42Because Flying Scotsman has a very carefully planned schedule and we've effectively been put into that schedule
01:49at a very short notice.
01:50So Richard Corsa at that minute and everybody else involved with that.
01:52Thank you very much.
01:53And if you could just share a round of applause for them, I'd really like to thank you.
01:55I'd also like to thank the myriad of people that have been involved in the actual rebuilding work itself.
02:08Some of the contractors that have been involved in this, SEP Rail, and particularly CML,
02:13have done an absolutely amazing job.
02:15Some of us have had the privilege in the last few weeks to actually go down to the site
02:18and see the work the CML have been doing.
02:20It's been nothing short of miraculous in my view.
02:23To see those guys at work is really quite mind-blowing.
02:27When they came to do their presentation to us, when we were looking to let the contact for the work,
02:32they said, you know, it's quite a complicated site, but we're quite confident also
02:35that we can repair this in about six weeks.
02:37I have to admit, I thought that was a tad ambitious.
02:40They were quietly confident, and because they were so confident and so capable,
02:46we're here today doing this reopening event.
02:49So, again, can we share our appreciation particularly to CML?
02:59Of course, there's a load of other things that have to go on behind the scenes.
03:02The insurance, for example, in our insurance companies,
03:05have been really, really fundamental to what we've been able to do.
03:09They have been a pleasure to work with.
03:11I can't speak highly enough of the engagement we've had with them.
03:14I'm sure Anthony Bartlett might say a bit more about that in a minute,
03:16but, again, the insurance, the loss of justice,
03:18everybody involved in that vital work behind the scenes,
03:20again, everybody has contributed to getting us the way we are here today.
03:23So, again, can we share our appreciation to them?
03:31And then we got to almost the icing on the cake, literally, when you look at it,
03:34and that was replacing the track on top of the repaired structure.
03:38So, I'm going to have to highlight here the work that was orchestrated.
03:41I think that's the best way of putting it.
03:43My colleague, Steve Featherstone, is here somewhere.
03:46Steve orchestrated what became known as the volunteer army.
03:51It's also an argument that I've got on here, related to that,
04:02in about two days' track.
04:04That work was going to be a couple of two to three weeks, I don't know.
04:07It's absolutely amazing.
04:08It shows very clearly, again, how important it is for the SBR
04:12to have really strong relations with the many on their industry,
04:15including these residents who have seen it out of the rail and all the supply chain.
04:18So, thank you very much to them for everything that they've done, generally, for the railway,
04:22but particularly for that mammoth effort with the volunteers relaying the track in two days flat.
04:27So, again, can we share our appreciation to them?
04:29Thank you very much.
04:59We've really kept this place alive in difficult circumstances for the last six months
05:03and made sure that there's still the sound of a railway and bridge wars for that six-month period.
05:07So, again, you can show yourselves a round of applause for that.
05:14There's one other person that I'd really like to call out,
05:17and I'm going to embarrass you, but Anthony Darlan, our engineering advisor.
05:22He's been the project manager for this all the way along.
05:24Like all the rest of us, a passionate volunteer on the railway as well,
05:27but it couldn't have been done without him.
05:28So, Anthony, a lot of thanks to you personally,
05:32but can we just show our applause for the show?
05:39I love that place.
05:41I think, Anthony, I'm going to say a few words.
