Mallard steam train exhibition secures Hornby place in Arts and Business Awards shortlist

The legendary Mallard, which still holds the record for the fastest steam locomotive in the world after hitting 126mph at Stoke Bank, near Grantham on the East Coast main line in 1938 — a record that's unlikely ever to be beaten.

Two of the locos, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Dominion of Canada, were brought over from museums on the other side of the Atlantic for the reunion, which attracted tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world.

Like Mallard, which is part of Britain's National Railway Museum collection, those two are no longer in running order, but merely exhibited in gleaming condition.

But the other three — Bittern, Sir Nigel Gresley and Union of South Africa, owned by separate rail enthusiasts — still earn a living hauling steam charters on the main line.

Now, the collaboration has been shortlisted for this year’s Arts and Business Awards in partnership with Jaguar Land Rover.

The awards, whose sponsors include The Telegraph, celebrate the partnerships between the commercial and cultural sectors. This year, over 90 partnerships entered across the 8 award categories.

Ian Callum, Design Director at Jaguar Cars commented: “The arts are not an optional extra. As all these creative partnerships testify, the role of business in promoting and supporting the arts is becoming ever more valuable. Without business resources our culture would be greatly diminished. Without the arts - our ability to design, to create and to make things cannot prosper. Jaguar Land Rover is proud to celebrate the 35th Arts & Business Awards and to tell these stories. They show how thinking with wit and imagination is precisely what’s good for business.”

The ceremony for the 35th Arts & Business Awards will take place on the May 21 at BFI Southbank.

Culture Minister Ed Vaizey said: “Arts and culture are good for the soul but they are also good for business too. I would like to congratulate all the partnerships that have been shortlisted for the 35th Arts & Business Awards for showing how creative and innovative partnerships can lead to great cultural success.”

Jonathan Tuchner, Deputy Director of Arts & Business, added: “At this time of rebirth and reassessment for many businesses and many arts bodies, the short-list for the 35th Arts & Business Awards is the most important in our history.

“The partnerships show that the arts continue to have a dramatic effect in improving business performance, inspiring employees and benefiting the wider community. We must be wary to never sideline the arts as an irrelevance to business or society, whatever the economic climate.

“Our exceptional panels of judges have chosen the best current examples of cultural organisations engaging with companies. All these stories are a testament to the immense power of the arts in building bridges, forging links and binding communities. It is vital that arts bodies do not lose faith and the business community find new ways to collaborate successfully. Through Art & Business, the power of the both sectors to be a force for good can be unleashed. We hope that these stories inspire many others.”

The shortlisted partnerships include:

A&B New Sponsorship Award

Fellows Auctioneers & Herbert Art Gallery & Museum (Culture Coventry)

Force-7 Ltd (on behalf of *Hull 2017 Angels Business Consortium) & Hull 2017 UK City of Culture Bid

Mr Porter.com & Almeida Theatre

The Open Data Institute (ODI) & MzTEK

Waterloo Quarter & Fantasy High Street

A&B Sponsorship Awards (below 10k)

Bristol Water and Bristol Festival of Nature

Ellisons & Birmingham Repertory Theatre

Fellows Auctioneers & Herbert Art Gallery & Museum (Culture Coventry)

Q-Park & Sheffield Theatres

Waterloo Quarter & Fantasy High Street

A&B Sponsorship Award (10k and above)

Goldman Sachs & British Museum

Hornby PLC & National Railway Museum

Liverpool John Moores University & Tate Liverpool

A&B Digital Partnership Award

BSKYB & The Victoria and Albert Museum

Samsung Electronics UK & British Museum

Sennheiser & Victoria and Albert Museum

U-Live/Classic FM & Bristol Old Vic/Watersheds

A&B Corporate Responsibility Award

British Land & New Diorama Theatre

DBS Law Ltd & City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Deutsche Bank & 15 UK Universities

Liverpool John Moores University & Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Southern Railway & Sussex Downs College

BP A&B Long-term Partnership Award

British Land & New Diorama Theatre

Deutsche Bank & 15 UK Universities

EFG International & Serious

Lansons & HighTide Festival Theatre

Samsung and the British Museum

A&B Board Member of the Year Award

Daniel Peltz & Artichoke Trust

Karl Jackson & Cornerhouse and Library Theatre Company

Robin Woodhead & Hofesh Shechter Company

A&B Young Board Member of the Year Award

Amy Bird & HighTide

Alice Millest & Clean Break

Lydia Lee & Warchild

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