Support us

There are three main ways that you can support our charity to keep the viaduct open for all:

  1. You can make a regular or one-off donation
  2. You can become a member of the Friends of Bennerley Viaduct
  3. You can volunteer for us.

When you donate to the Friends of Bennerley Viaduct, you are supporting our ongoing work to make the viaduct accessible, and develop a dynamic visitor attraction in the Erewash Valley.

We lease the viaduct from its owners, Railway Paths Ltd, because we believe it should be open to everyone, a place to explore history and nature, spend time together outdoors, and inspire new connections. Our staff and volunteers are responsible for all work to keep the viaduct open for visitors, and to tell its stories to the world. Although we have received funding from organisations such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we do not receive regular, guaranteed public money so we need your help to survive.

In addition to a one-off donation, please do consider becoming a member, or volunteering your time and skills.

There are several ways to donate to our charity, and every donation is deeply appreciated: you are making a difference.

  1. Direct donation

To make a direct donation, select the amount that you wish to donate, your payment method and (optionally) your email address below and click “Next” to either complete a gift aid declaration or decline to do so. If you retain “Online” as your payment method you will then be taken to PayPal’s gateway, to make payment using either a PayPal account or a credit or debit card. If you select “Cheque” or “Bank Transfer” as payment methods, you will be given a payment reference to use so that we may account for your donation correctly.

Select the amount that you wish to donate and click “Next”. If you want to make a larger donation by card you can Contact Us.£5£10£20£50Other

 £Payment Method:ChequeBank TransferOnline

After you have clicked on Next and made a gift aid declaration or declined to do so, you will be taken to a page to instruct your payment, either via PayPal or a credit or debit card.

We would like to make contact with you to thank you personally for your donation. If you are okay for us to do that then please provide us with your email address. However, if you would rather not do so then you can leave this field blank.Email Address:Confirm Email Address:Next

  1. Donate through JustGiving

Click the link to donate securely and find out more about our current fundraising campaign.

Join us

We need your support to keep the ‘Iron Giant’ thriving. If you’re not already a member of The Friends of Bennerley Viaduct, why not join us? The fee is £10 a year, or £50 for a lifetime membership. Personal data provided to us is protected by our privacy policy.

Benefits of being a Friend:

  1. The knowledge that you are directly helping to keep this unique heritage icon open for all
  2. Voting rights at our AGM: have your say in our democratic organisation
  3. A members-only newsletter
  4. 10% off merchandise
  5. Advance notice of tickets for events and activities
  6. The chance to socialise and meet other members at our regular meetings.

To join or renew your membership enter the following details below and click “Next”.

We have a responsibility to protect your privacy and the data you supply to us, and we take it very seriously. You can read why we request this information and what we do with it in our privacy policy.

Contact Details:First Name:Surname:Email Address:Confirm Email Address:

You may choose to provide us with your full address so that we can send mail to you; for example, to send you a membership card. If you don’t choose to provide us with your full address, we require at least the start of your postcode for purpose of demographic analysis of our membership. I want to give my full, postal address.Postcode:Telephone:

Payment:

Please select your chosen payment amount and payment method. The payment amount is £10 or £50 depending on whether you wish to join/renew for one year or for life. In light of the current cost of living crisis, we are also offering the option to join/renew for one year for £5.Payment Amount:£10 (One Year)£5 (One Year)£50 (Life)Payment Method:ChequeBank TransferOnline

After you have clicked on Next and made a gift aid declaration or declined to do so, you will be taken to a page to instruct your payment, either via PayPal or a credit or debit card.Next

Volunteering

At Bennerley we have an amazing team of supporters who volunteer their time to help us. This can be a one off day or more regularly. We have a variety of roles that might suit you, or tell us your ideas about how you could help:

  • Ranger team – help keep the viaduct safe and clean for the visitors;
  • Work party members – meet monthly to improve the woodland nature reserve:
  • Events and merchandise team – talk to people in the community and raise funds for us;
  • Tour guide or presentation teams – do you love history and communicating stories to the public? Join our lovely team to deliver tours and presentations to groups;
  • Office volunteers help us keep the charity in business by writing newsletters, social media, and helping at the office;
  • Volunteer at our cafe and visitor centre – gain valuable skills and experience in hospitality.

You can volunteer as much or as little as you like, on your own or in a team. Get in touch via our contact page to hear more.

We also host corporate volunteering days – contact us on info@bennerleyviaduct.org.uk for more information.