Market Deeping Vandalism Update

I have received the following update from Peter Davies the Chairman of the Market Deeping Model Railway Club.

"We are slowly rebuilding. 'Woodcroft', extensively damaged in the disaster will be complete and on display at Warley, in Peterborough and our own show in Stamford in May next year. Knowl End (a layout for youngsters to operate) was totally beyond repair sadly. It has had to be junked. Mitchell Junction will rise in its place. It is at the planning stage and baseboard materials are on order. We anticipate tracklaying will commence in about a month. First, we have to experiment with a new form of baseboard clip held together with super magnets to avoid us 'old men' having to crawl underneath to insert bolts to hold it all together!
Mitchell Junction is intended to be a perspective layout in which both N and OO gauges will be used. With an outer analogue OO track simply for trains to go round, an inner digital OO track with sound-fitted locos and an analogue N gauge set up too, three people will be able to control trains at once (One more than Knowl End had capacity for).
Sadly, other layouts for the exhibition could not be saved and members of St Neots club with them on display are absolutely distraught at the devastation. We are all trying to move on and plan for the future but it takes so much time.
As a club, we are managing to meet all commitments to which we previously agreed, taking layouts to others' exhibitions though, sadly, not with layouts that were initially booked because of the damage to them. Very prompt insurance payouts (via and thanks to Magnet, Quadra Claims and Ansvar insurance) have ensured that all damage has been paid for though, of course, nothing can replace the time, love and skill which has gone into crafting and building the models themselves. The loss of those will and for always be with us all.
As a result of the amazingly generous donations we received, we are establishing a charitable trust to support those directly impacted by the disaster, to support a variety of youth projects and to develop education projects related to the heritage, history, development and skills of railway modelling. The trust will manage both the money and stock we have so generously been donated. It is taking incredible amounts of time but, with so much money and so many donations of stock, we have to ensure we handle it all at the best professional level we can.
I'm sure you will have seen the result of the court case earlier this week. The youngsters involved will carry those convictions for the rest of their lives and it could well blight future prospects for them. I find it so sad that wrong choices, taken while influenced by others, can have such a devastating effect on us, our layouts and their lives. Nothing can turn the clock back but I'm sure they (and I know we) wish that were possible.
We have suffered the worst devastation of a model railway exhibition ever. It was a first. We all hope that it will be the last. Next year (still at Stamford Welland Academy and with overnight security provided by a highly reputable security company that provides security for the "real railway" system) our show will be over two days instead of one (16-17 May). It will also be twice the size it was planned to be this year. We will have many more layouts on display and traders present than ever before. I hope you can join us."

Let's all show our support and see if we can attend their show next year.

Best Regards,
Adrian Hall
The UK Model Shop Directory.

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