Sir Rod donates £££ to vandalised model rail club

20 May 2019, 17:14 | Updated: 20 May 2019, 17:18

Sir Rod Stewart says he's going to donate £10,000 to the victims of Saturday morning's vandalism that destroyed a model railway exhibition being prepared for a show.

Sir Rod said he is "absolutely devastated" following the destruction.

Sir Rod, who built up his own model railway over more than 20 years, is urging his fellow musicians to dig deep following the vandalism.

Stands were overturned and layouts were destroyed at a school in Stamford, on Saturday, where the Market Deeping Model Railway Club was holding its annual show.

The club said months of planning goes into the exhibition, adding some of the models on display were "irreplaceable".

Speaking about the model railway owners, Sir Rod said in a statement:

"I feel their pain.

I was absolutely devastated to hear that vandals had destroyed what was to be a lovely show by the Market Deeping Model Railway Club over the weekend.

The collection was priceless and I am donating £10,000 to help compensate those affected and asking fellow enthusiasts Jools Holland, Roger Daltrey and others to do the same."

The Do Ya Think I'm Sexy singer added:

"It took me 23 years to build my model railway so I feel their pain."

The star is said to be the proud owner of a model of New York's Grand Central Station, complete with talking conductors and air-conditioned skyscrapers.

"All the little guys in the engines are talking. It is unbelievable. It really is," he has said, but warned: "Don't say it's a 'train set'. It is a scale-model railway."

Earlier, club chairman Peter Davies told Sky News:

"I've never experienced anything like it, I didn't want to, but I cried."

Mr Davies says one model exhibitor club from St Neots, had been working on their display for 25 years; "now it's matchwood."

Four youths were arrested in connection with the incident but have since been released on conditional police bail pending further inquiries.

Lincolnshire Police were alerted to the incident by a local resident when noises were heard coming from Queen Eleanor School shortly before 4am on Saturday.