THERE'S going to be an "iron horse" at the finish line of Worcester Racecourse on Wednesday, June 24 when the venue stages a special raceday in aid of the Severn Valley Railway.

The SVR will be taking along a tank engine to park near the winning post and encourage punters to give what they can to raise funds and help ensure the railway's future and infrastructure.

Phil Dutton, one of the heritage railway's committee members organising the race day, said: “Many people believe the SVR is a self-sustaining operation which survives through ticket sales on the railway. This is simply not the case. This unique and wonderful facility, which operates between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year, is dependent on 1,500 volunteers and financial support from the Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust for its maintenance and development. This fundraising day is crucial if we are to guarantee the survival of the Railway for the enjoyment of future generations. I think many people take its survival for granted. If we don’t adopt a proactive attitude it could so easily fall into decay and Worcestershire would lose a much-loved feature which gives enormous pleasure to the general public and railway enthusiasts.

" The charity raceday at Worcester promises to be enormous fun and I urge everyone who values the Railway and enjoys horse racing to join us for an afternoon of jump racing at the picturesque, tree-lined racecourse, nestling on the banks of the River Severn.”

The racecourse gates will open at 12.20pm with the first of seven jump races off at 14.20pm and the last race at 17.35pm.