‘Octopussy’ 40th anniversary weekend of James Bond 007 film raises nearly £5,000 for Nene Valley Railway

Money raised from a recent Octopussy 40th anniversary reunion event held in Peterborough has been donated to the Nene Valley Railway (NVR).

Members of the James Bond fan group ‘On the tracks of 007’ presented a cheque for £4,515 to the NVR’s management team on Saturday June 17, following several initiatives to raise funds during the two-day celebratory event.

Assistant general manager of the NVR, Tracy Spring, was delighted to receive the cheque, saying it would help “to keep the steam billowing out at Nene Valley Railway.”

‘On the tracks of 007’ brought more than 150 Bond fans to the heritage railway earlier this month to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the classic James Bond film ‘Octopussy’.

The classic spy movie – which starred Roger Moore as the suave secret agent – was released at cinemas in June 1983. Many of the film’s train-based action scenes and stunts were shot at the NVR, making it a popular place of pilgrimage for devoted Bond fans to visit.

Along with a charity auction on Saturday June 3, the organisers of the highly successful event held an autograph session on Sunday June 4 aboard an NVR locomotive that is very familiar to fans of the mega-popular film franchise.

It was the actual train used in the film, providing an opportunity for 007 fans and autograph hunters to interact with their idols.

Fundraising profits were also generated by sales of a new book, ‘On the train tracks - Filming Octopussy & GoldenEye at Nene Valley Railway.’

Additional donations from individual contributors helped bring the final total to an impressive £4,515.00.

“This amazing donation will be going towards helping fund ongoing volunteer and staff training which is an integral part of our operations, keeping the love of steam alive,” Tracy said.

Marc Hernandez, one of the reunion weekend’s co-organisers emphasised how “Nene Valley Railway is an important filming location to James Bond fans.”

He was pleased visiting Bond fans from all over Europe, and as far away as the USA, “saw the best the railway had to offer” over the reunion weekend, and were able to observe “how the enthusiasm and dedication of the volunteers makes it a place the city can be proud of having.”