It costs £21,000 to fund an apprentice for one year, and the Railway relies on the generosity of the Charitable Trust's supporters to fund this essential aspect of its operation.

Within the four-year scheme, a number of young people work and learn across the different departments; locomotive running, boiler shop, carriage mechanical, and carriage bodywork.

Initially, apprentices rotate around these departments to gain experience and knowledge across a range of trades. After two years, they're assigned to one of the departments to pursue a specialisation.

As well as intensive on-the-job training, apprentices work towards nationally-recognised NVQ 2 and 3 level qualifications.

As the apprentices gain experience, the Railway is able to use their skills to take on outside contract work for other heritage organisations. This brings in additional income to the Railway, all of which can be channelled back into restoration projects.

Could you help to develop and support the SVR's future heritage engineers?