Cheque handed over to group trying to save Corby steam engine

A £100 cheque has been handed over to a group trying to save a Corby icon.

The Friends of S&L number 14 are attempting to renovate and provide a display around the beloved steam engine that has stood in East Carlton Park for years after it was moved from West Glebe Park.

The engine once carried heavy loads around the town’s steelworks but its condition has deteriorated over recent years.

Now the campaign to preserve it for future generations is under way, and has been boosted by East Lloyds Community Association.

Chair Dennis Taylor said: “We get some money each year to give to small local organisations. We thought this was an important project so we decided to give them £100 to help them on their way.

“The Pen Green wagon sheds where the engine would have been repaired were on the East Lloyds Estate and the steelworks are such a vital part of the history of Corby.

"We’ve lost some important industrial landmarks in Corby over the years. The centre in East Carlton Park that had steelworks artefacts has gone since they extended the cafe. So many people don’t know how important the works were.”

Chair of FoSL14 Mike Murray said: “The donation from the East Lloyds Community Association is another fantastic boost for the FoSL14 campaign to get Corby’s steam locomotive restored back to the condition that she deserves to be in. We would like to thank Dennis Taylor and the committee and members of the association for their generosity.

“The level of engagement we have had from people in and around Corby has been wonderful and shows just how much this locomotive means to so many of us.

“While the closure of the steelworks is still quite a painful memory for many local people while talking about the locomotive we have found that there is a real feeling that it’s time to look back at the steel-making period of the town’s history with a sense of pride and that renovating this locomotive, that spent its whole working life in Corby, is one way that pride could be demonstrated.”

The group has already raised more than £1,000. You can donate here.