THE world’s oldest railway institute has celebrated its 187th anniversary.

Shildon Railway Institute, in County Durham, kicked off the celebrations with a ‘virtual’ party bringing talented musicians and singers together to mark history.

The party was organised to raise further awareness of the plight of the institute as it struggles to keep going financially in the face of tough Government and local authority enforced restrictions.

Shildon Railway Institute has been at the heart of the town since it was founded by Timothy Hackworth for the area’s railway workers and their families in 1833.

Its current home since 1911, the building on Redworth Road is a place where generations have come together over the decades.

When the railway works closed in 1984, the beautiful Grade II listed building was gifted by owners North Eastern Railway to its members.

However, the beloved institute has struggled during the coronavirus pandemic and is now facing permanent closure unless it can raise vital funds.

The ‘Save Our Stute’ (SOS) campaign is hoping to raise £20,000 to save Shildon Railway Institute from closing for good.

It has raised nearly £10,000 in donations so far.

The two periods of enforced closure during the coronavirus pandemic has meant writing off the bar’s stock and then re-buying it, furloughing staff and cancelling several events.

Outgoings have quickly overtaken income and the historic venue’s finances are in a perilous state.

The Northern Echo has pledged its support to the campaign and would encourage readers to donate to the appeal.

Organisers said the night was a shimmering showcase of North-East talent and a reminder for so many of what they have missed throughout the Covid crisis.

Dave Reynolds, who collated the contributions from the various artists involved said: “To say we only had the idea to do this a week ago, it was a surprising success.

“It was only a few days before that when we had the idea that we discovered that the first meeting of what became the institute took place on the 28th of November 1833 in the Globe Inn on Chapel Street. I was looking for some evidence in the British Newspaper Archive online and was fortunate to find a piece in the Newcastle Courant describing that first gathering. As we had been running the CrowdFunding page for a few days, we just thought it would be great to celebrate our birthday as part of that.

“We’re fortunate that a few of the Save Our Stute volunteers and other people connected to the institute knew a few talented local people to ask. We didn’t know just how generous those people would be with their support as the, often home made, videos of their songs started to flood in. From there it was simply a case of trying to stitch them together to create the best party we could muster.”

Some of the singers and musicians featured have performed at the institute in recent years and said it made the anniversary celebration like a family reunion.

The anniversary performances can be viewed online at youtube.com/watch?v=cJ4_iV1Et20

To support the fundraiser, arrange to send a donation by calling the volunteers on 07783-674107.