The Trust offers financial assistance to individuals or groups to carry through restoration or improvement projects to completion. The Trust also invites enquiries about sponsoring one or more Awards.
Lewis Perry:
Our Young Preservationist of the year is Lewis Perry, who took on the restoration of a very rusty but complete motorcycle from 1952.
He had been volunteering at the Spa Valley Railway for some time and this had strengthened his interest in matters mechanical and engineering, and had also given him the idea of taking on his own restoration project.
His choice of a motorcycle as the subject of his project was influenced by his interest in Captain America's motorcycles in Marvel magazine. 
While Captain America unsurprisingly favours Harley Davidson motorcycles, Lewis was presented on his 17th birthday with something rather less complicated, and certainly smaller - its engine capacity at 125cc is a tenth of that of a typical Harley Davidson. This came about through the intervention of a motorcycling neighbour, Rick Parkington, who located a 1952 Excelsior Universal through his contacts.
While complete, it was very rusty, and made an excellent restoration project with its simple single-cylinder Villiers two-stroke engine and straightforward frame and running gear. The Excelsior Universal would have been very much a ride-to-work machine in its day, with reliability and economy in mind rather than style or speed, and DIY maintenance was very much the norm in the early 1950s.
With Rick's support and advice the bike was stripped down in Rick's workshop and during this time Lewis gradually built up a collection of the tools and literature to enable the Excelsior to be re-assembled after the refurbishment and painting of components.
In addition to being a keen motorcyclist neighbour Rick is a regular contributor on technical matters to Classic Bike magazine, and the restoration was featured in a series of articles during 2019 and 2020. Donations in support of the restoration have arrived unsolicited from motorcyclists, and the British Two Stroke Club has contributed one hundred pounds to help things along.
The project ran alongside Lewis' A level studies, and he has now gone on to study engineering at university.
The National Transport Trust makes loans to groups, associations and individuals at advantageous rates for the restoration of artefacts - whether mobile or part of the infrastructure. Applications must be supported by a simple business plan which demonstrates the financial viability of the project. A sample business plan is available on request from the Treasurer.
The Trust does occasionaly make Awards for schemes which further the preservation movement. Again if you wish further information please contact the Treasurer.