Support our Charity

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

1. You can donate
2. You can join the Friends and become a member
3. Or do some volunteering with 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: we need your help to survive. In addition to a one off donation, you 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.

2. Donate through JustGiving

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

3. Text to Give

You can donate by text using your mobile for any amount between £1 and £20 (whole pounds). E.g. to donate £5 text VIADUCT 5 to 70470. This text will cost you £5 plus a standard network rate.

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. Know you are directly supporting keeping this unique heritage icon open for all
2. Voting rights at our AGM: have our say in our democratic organisation
3. Members-only newsletter
4. 10% off merchandise
5. First-look tickets for our events and activities
6. Socialise at our regular Open Meetings

The details are described in our membership information sheet. If you’re already a member renew your membership below.

Price Change 2023
As a charity, we rely on memberships for our future. We have taken the decision to increase our annual single membership fee to £10. This reflects increasing costs now that we responsible for keeping the viaduct open and leasing the land around it. But we recognise that times are tough: if you have difficulty finding £10, you can opt to pay a reduced membership fee of £5. Our lifetime membership fee has not changed.

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

We take our responsibility for respecting your data privacy seriously. You can read why we request this information and what we do with it in our privacy policy.

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 could suit you, or tell us your ideas about how you could help:

• Ranger team 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: Love history and communicating stories to the public? We have a lovely team who 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.

You can volunteer as much or as little as you like, on your own or in a team. Get in touch via our Contact Us page to hear more. We also do corporate volunteering days.