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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by gwr4090, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    News of the petition mentioned by RailAdvent. <BJ>

    Petition started to help save the West Somerset Railway
    By Jamie Duggan. 11th June 2020
    Launched on Thursday 4th of June, a petition has been started titled “Open Letter to the West Somerset Railway PLC, WSRA and WSSRT”.
    ''The main concern behind the petition is the impact of the three main groups decisions and operation on the railway’s survival, with these groups being the West Somerset Railway PLC (WSR PLC), West Somerset Railway Association (WSRS) and West Somerset Steam Railway Trust (WSSRT).
    Providing many jobs, attracting visitors & tourists, and preserving part of the famous Somerset and Dorset Railway Route, the West Somerset Railway is a key attraction around the West Somerset area.
    In recent years though, the railway’s fate has been hanging in the balance. Finances have been very tight at times.
    A lot of these issues affecting the railway have been put down to the WSR PLC, WSRA and WSSRT arrangement which runs the railway.
    Therefore, the petition urges these three organisations to unite to give the WSR the best chance of survival in the short-term and preserve the railway for many decades to come in the long-term.
    For more information about the petition, please visit the organiser’s page by clicking here''.
     
  2. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    >>>>Providing many jobs, attracting visitors & tourists, and preserving part of the famous Somerset and Dorset Railway Route, the West Somerset Railway is a key attraction around the West Somerset area.....

    Well, they got that wrong then :)
     
  3. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    I signed the petition, but for the sake of accuracy -
    " ... preserving part of the famous Somerset and Dorset Railway Route, ..." isn't quite right. Perhaps 'preserving the memory of the famous Somerset and Dorset railway route' would be more accurate.

    Apologies if I'm being pedantic.

    John
     
  4. nanstallon

    nanstallon Part of the furniture

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    Beat me to it!
     
  5. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    Well it is RailAdvent - not exactly renowned for accuracy!

    Keith
     
  6. Andy Norman

    Andy Norman Member

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    The West Somerset Free Press front page today (below, please buy a copy). It’s as always for people to see what they want to see and form their own opinions. For now I will restrict my comments only to volunteers and I will let the other things pass.

    Many will know I have talked on here for over a year about the need amongst other things for much more inclusion of people and the community not exclusion, because people bring skills, time and money on many levels. Therefore I found the comment “We don’t believe the initiators of the petition are current volunteers but are known vocal critics”, particularly disappointing as a Volunteer who in 2018 gave 112 days volunteering, gained £185k in external grant funding for the WSR and set up the WSRA grant funding structure the WSRA are plugging today as ‘new’.

    I’ve talked a lot about culture and the need to change yet it still seems to be that when you don’t agree with ‘certain actions’ taken on the WSR and refuse to be silenced you can have you ID card and your hobby removed with no process, no rules and no comeback, just the sweep of one person’s pen. And then you can be referred to as nothing to do with the WSR in public and as somebody who is not a volunteer so you or your opinions don’t count and can be discarded.

    I only use myself as a small example, I’m only a bit part player spinning around on the edges of the WSR (because I’m not welcomed inside the tent) as a part of larger issues and I’ve come to expect nothing more from people unfortunately. It’s all the others I feel sorry for in a quickly expanding group of past and present volunteers, stakeholders, shareholders and others who could help if they felt their time would be well spent, who must be feeling disenfranchised by the WSR and its dismissal of them. What a waste of valuable resource when the WSR needs people and money the most.

    Still let’s look to the positives, the WSRA have re-stated again (the first time was a year ago on here by the WSRA Acting Chairman and repeated at least twice on here since) that they are taking over the Volunteer Recruitment and things will change, so let’s see that happen.

    How about starting with making the WSR a safe place to volunteer, say sorry and welcome back the banished, put the HR Policies back in place as they were before (they worked well as they were, if they were applied correctly) and state clearly to all in public that all are a part of the WSR all can speak freely and give opinions without fear and all can play a part of it as a true community railway. Over to you WSRA, a large and growing group of your members are watching with interest.

    The petition now stands at 453 in about a week, that’s over a 100 more than the WSRA/EX6 petition which took much, much longer to get to gain traction despite much more publicity and was of course a large issue about the future of the WSR’s Freehold (thanks to Michael Rowe for reminding me the number the Ex6 petition achieved on here a few pages back).

    https://www.wsfp.co.uk/article.cfm?id=124096&headline=Hundreds back railway protest group's petition&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2020&cat=Community News
     
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2020
  7. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

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    For the record. The petition for which I gave a number was concerning the sale of the Freehold
    ie separate sheets signed by c.350 volunteers (out of a toatal of c.1000 volunteers ) during a
    period coinciding with the Railway winter shut down. It was addressed to the SCC.

    The WSRA petition calling for an EGM was a separate issue much later. I was not involved
    as I was then a WSRA Trustee ( although I can now admit that I was one of two Trustees who
    were pleased it was ongoing and very pleased to accept the request on behalf of the WSRA,
    presented by amongst others, "Barrie the Beer".)

    Both of these petitions were tightly focussed ie from Volunteers and WSRA Members
    respectively. They also had very specific requirements ie to stop the Freehold Sale,
    to change the WSRA Trustees.

    Michael Rowe

    ps Both actions achieved their objectives,
     
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2020
  8. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    The PLC states that the line is fighting for survival - not a bed of financial roses then? - but many here realise that. It is reassuring to read the PLC state "that it has all been sorted out".
    Does that mean the S&D Trust are now staying at Washford? To make another quote, that of Victor Meldrew "I don't believe it". :D
     
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2020
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  9. RailWest

    RailWest Part of the furniture

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    Who knows what the Plc mean/think these days?
    In their mind 'sorting it out' might equally mean getting rid of the Trust and then hoping that the dust will settle and everyone will forget about it....
     
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  10. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    "We don’t believe the initiators of the petition are current volunteers but are known to be vocal critics of the railway."
    I take that to imply that the PLC will remove the ID cards of any who actually are current volunteers, if it can just work out who they are. And what about the many others who were not "initiators" but are signatories? Personae non gratae also?
     
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  11. RichardBrum

    RichardBrum Member

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    The press release from the plc was not signed by anybody
    https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/news/detail/joint-press-release-09-june-2020


    Note that the WSRA are only distancing themselves from one press release.
    One therefore has to assume that they still approve of the Joint & Position Statement regarding Somerset & Dorset Railway Trust. 1st May 2020.
    Except that statement has problems https://www.national-preservation.c...eviction-notice.1417790/page-123#post-2580951
     
  12. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

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    I am not in any way connected to any of the statements issued by the Plc. However I cannot understand
    how you derive your "I take it to imply......".

    I have often been a critic of inter alia the WSR Plc, most recently at last year's AGM. There has
    never been any suggestion that my ID would be removed.

    Seen from outside it appears the WSRA,WSSRT & WSR Plc are wrestling with the effects of
    Covid. Of course there were significant challenges before Covid for the greater WSR;
    now they are major.

    Let us all try and offer some support, if not financial at least verbally to the WSR.

    Drawing, at the best mischievous interpretations and at the worst senselessly
    hostile conclusions, from any Public statement issued by the WSR ( whether Plc,
    WSRA, WSSRT , S&DTrust etc ) is unhelpful.

    The continuing output of nonsense must ultimately have a negative effect
    on fund raising and ultimately the WSR's chances of survival. Surely what
    we all want is for the Heritage Railway sector to survive intact post
    Covid ?

    Michael Rowe
     
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  13. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    Its clear that the PLC, are not going to by choice step back, I don't know if its that the board members can't accept they made a mistake, or they for what ever reason do see an group who are not fully GWR orientated as being a part of the railway, Part of me does sometime wonder, Had the board of the PLC, at the time done full diligence when electing, or asking people to join the board, will the railway be fighting its self again? from this outsiders point of view, Cleary there seem to be a few square pegs in round holes, and no amount of shaving off the edges will make them a true fit.
     
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  14. aldfort

    aldfort Well-Known Member

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    Just for the avoidance of doubt, I am still the Acting Chairman of the WSRA.

    Michael would, of course,be welcome to offer himself for a further stint as trustee.

    But his statement seems to me to be correct.

    I can be reached via my WSRA e-mail address.
     
  15. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    I see, from the paragraph I have highlighted , that the S&D Trust name is missing. A slip of then pen, maybe? or is that how it is in reality. As far as outsiders - here anyway - seem to be concerned is that the constituents of the WSR are struggling more with themselves in the first instance, Covid-19 is just another crisis.
     
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  16. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

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    I also in the paragraph failed to mention as well as the S&D Trust, the DEPG, FOMS,
    FOBA etc. Although if you had continued reading you would have found the S&D
    included in paragraph 5.

    The main thrust of my posting was that the repeated 'nonsense' would ( and probably
    is ) adverseley effect the PLC, WSRA, WSSRT joint fundraising initiative.

    I am sure I do not have to empathise that without an operating Company running
    trains the other vital parts of the Railway cease to have a raison d'etre.

    Please do not add more 'nonsense'

    Michael Rowe
     
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2020
  17. Andy Norman

    Andy Norman Member

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    Michael.

    Lots of people have lots of concerns about the way the WSR is being managed, the MP, the S&D, the local Schools, a lot of posters on here and other social media sites, volunteers, shareholders, nearly 500 people who have signed the petition and a whole host of people who contact me directly from many parts of the heritage railway industry to ask questions. These issues and concerns are also pre-Covid, as has been said above, Covid is just the latest crisis to manage so lets not use that as an excuse.

    Now it can be debated how the issues can be cured, who is at fault, why solutions haven't been put into place and why there is a feeling of hostility to anybody who criticises from people either in or close to the WSR Management. But please to accuse all of these people of speaking nonsense is an bit of an insult to be honest. It unfortunately also just adds to the ongoing culture of: Stop talking about it or we will say its all your fault for mentioning it, we have it under control leave us alone, give us your money or you are going to damage the WSR and it won't be our fault for doing stuff people don't like.

    I come back to my point in my earlier post, the WSR needs all the people and money it can get, why continue to alienate all of the above parties by saying they are talking nonsense ?
     
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  18. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    My "nonesense" money has gone to other lines and places. I saw no reason to support a legal case, which if it goes against the PLC would be the outcome, as I see it.
     
  19. 6960 Raveningham Hall

    6960 Raveningham Hall Member Friend

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    Not that simple though, is it.

    If the “banished” volunteer has made comments on social media platforms which the Railway are unhappy about it may be appropriate for that volunteer to be welcomed back, assuming that he agrees to modify his behaviour and resist putting everything into the public domain.

    However, what if that volunteer has been “banished” because he made himself so unpopular with his work colleagues that a delegation demanded that he was excluded. I those circumstances I think the Railway would never welcome that person back, fearing that if they did other staff would walk away.

    You can demand all you like with your petition; some things you may achieve but others you most certainly will not.
     
  20. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    But that is very much the crux of the matter, of course the various critics want the WSR to survive, the concern is very much that it won't on its current path.

    Are there any examples of the second scenario you outline? Folk have been at great pains to express the fact that volunteering on the WSR is still an extremely pleasant and very friendly and enjoyable experience "on the ground" despite management problems, and I was thoroughly inclined to believe them despite my own criticism of other matters. That doesn't sound terribly friendly, pleasant and enjoyable to me though, if a gang of volunteers not only tried but succeeded in excluding one of their colleagues. That is exactly why those HR policies should be re-instated immediately, so if colleagues had a genuine concern about another volunteer it could be dealt with in a proper manner.
     
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