Dean Forest Railway’s sell-out season of Santa Specials started on Wednesday December 2 and will continue until Christmas Eve.

DFR’s Commercial Manager, James Graham said: “We are absolutely delighted to complete 2020 with these sold-out trains. It has been a very challenging year for us, with our running season lasting March to November, we lost over four months of revenue.

“Returning on August 1, we trained our volunteers and set up systems for Covid-compliance with one-way directions at stations. For the trains themselves we made advance booking compulsory so that we could blank off specific seats in the carriages to keep passengers and on-board train crew as far apart as necessary. Only one of our stations can be used for starting journeys at the moment, our main centre at Norchard.

“With this system in place we cannot have our usual presence of elves mingling on the train, least of all Father Christmas himself. Fortunately our southern terminus at Lydney Junction has a lovely wide platform where we have erected marquees for our visitors to meet a socially-distanced Santa and receive their presents.

“After Christmas our steam trains will be operating from Sunday December 27 until Friday January 1 inclusive - apart from Tuesday December 29 - with plenty of seats available for online booking.”

The railway has suffered from a dramatic drop in revenue during the Covid-19 pandemic so, to help the railway survive, the Dean Forest Railway Society launched an Emergency Appeal earlier in the year. By October the society treasurer, Tim McLennan, was able to announce that over £66,000 had been raised.

“We are incredibly grateful for this public support,” he said, “particularly as with a second lockdown and the uncertainty of what 2021 will bring, we have no plans to close the appeal.

“We have three options for donations, www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dfrs-emergency-fund, Text DFRS to 70191 to donate £10 or www.dfrsociety.org.uk/dfrs-emergency-fund. We are here to stay.”