ORAGNISERS fear the historic Shipley Glen Tramway may be forced to close on some weekends if new volunteers do not sign up.

The tramway, which has been running since May, 1895, has launched a desperate plea for people to come forward to help run the popular tourist attraction.

It runs on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from Easter to Christmas and then on Saturdays only between New Year’s Day and Easter.

Tramway trustees are looking to sign up an extra 60 volunteers to the current roster of 40 to keep the attraction running. If not, they fear it may be forced to close its doors on some days or for weekends.

Maggie de’Vries, Shipley Glen Tramway trustee, said: “I honestly think that we could get to that stage where we have to close.

“I think it’s crisis point for us. We need to staff it to a safe level.

“All the staff at the tramway are volunteers. We are down to the bare bones. We would like a base of 80 to 100 volunteers, we have 40 at the moment.

“We are down to about five drivers. People have to be trained up to get a licence to be a driver.”

The tramway will look to recruit new volunteers when it hosts an open day on Saturday, July 15. The day, which runs from 10.30am to 4.30pm, will give people the chance to meet the volunteers that keep the Victorian Tramway running. There will be free rides through the day, and refreshments provided by the Co-Op in Saltaire.

The site’s museum will be re-opened at 11.30am by Kate Smith, the granddaughter of Edward Woodhead and her parents, who were owners of the tramway between 1919 and 1942. This follows a £29,000 re-build and fit-out of the museum.

Baildon Council chairman, Peter Ashton, and his deputy, Lynne Ware, will assist with the opening.

The tramway is the oldest funicular railway in the UK, and was built to transport people from Saltaire to Shipley Glen.

The Shipley Glen Tramway Preservation Co Ltd has a long lease and maintains and runs the tramway. Major repairs were needed to the tramway after its track was wrecked by the 2015 Boxing Day floods. It re-opened in time for the Saltaire World Heritage Weekend in April 2016.

To sign up as a volunteer, or for more information, go to shipleyglentramway.co.uk.