IT’S full steam ahead for a group of railway enthusiasts thanks to a generous donation.

Volunteers at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway have been working for five years to restore a 1907 wood-bodied top light railway coach but work came to a standstill 18 months ago when they needed expensive scaffolding to work on the roof.

Kind-hearted businessman Martyn Coles, owner of CK Scaffolds, stepped forward after they appealed through the Adver in November and Martyn and his team have now put up the scaffolding for free.

Working volunteer Nick Bailey said he was pleased that work could finally get back on track.

“We are delighted and we are most grateful to CK Scaffolds because they have done a super job. We have been using it already,” he said.

The entire wooden roof and canvas must be replaced and Martyn has donated the scaffolding for free for three months.

The four-man team had been quoted £5,000 for the scaffolding but that would have used all the money they had to finish the restoration of the 18.5m by 2.5m coach.

Nick said: “Three months will be long enough to get the job done.

“It is a great relief, this was going to be a very expensive part of the coach restoration if we had had to pay for it ourselves.

“To have someone like that come in and give it to us and put it up for us is fantastic.”

Martyn and two colleagues spent about six hours putting up the scaffolding and he said he was pleased to help.

“All my family worked for the railway at some point in their lives and I had the chance to do it for them,” he said.

“Nobody else came forward so I thought I would do it. I just wanted to do it for them and for my family.

“For us it’s a tiny bit of scaffold so we don’t miss it. If you can do things like this for people then why not?”

Timber for the new roof will arrive next week and once the restoration is complete the coach will be put back into public use.