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West Somerset Railway General Discussion

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

  1. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    Rare for me to agree with you, but in this case I do.
    Thousands of shares in my employer and (now the company I have retired from) still mean I get no notification of board changes, or for that matter even when the company were proposing to sue five of its own Senior Managers (who were the company nominated pension trustees) in the High Court as part of of a company pension dispute.
     
  2. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

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    Bowing to the knowledge of youth, I wonder are there any Companies with thousands of Shareholders
    where all those shareholders either have an email address or are prepared to proffer said address ?

    My limited octogenarian understanding/experience is that when you have say 75% of shareholders
    contactable by email, the hassle of communicating with the other 25% tends to discourage attempting
    any individual legal or commercial Company correspondence whether by snail mail or email out with
    the statutory requirements. :)

    Michael Rowe.
     
    Last edited: Apr 2, 2022
  3. Platform 3

    Platform 3 Member

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    Not quite sure I can get onboard with the approach of 'if you can't tell everyone then don't tell anyone', but I do accept it I'd a company decision. What I would note is that they was quite a bit of publicity when he joined, and rather less for his departure.

    Sent from my SM-G770F using Tapatalk
     
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  4. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    as others have pointed out the WSRHT and Steve Edge were able to share the information quickly so it is available to those interested .

    Other railways and groups seem to understand the 21st century and the information age and get that by sharing news through social media channels they can keep members, shareholders, volunteers and interested parties informed very simply and easily .

    There seem to be some who, not content with preserving the steam era also seem to wish to preserve the values of the steam era as well . How many lines have boards of ageing white middle class men content to run their own fiefdom and treat everyone else as paupers to be treated in equally outdated and now unacceptable terms . In no other field have I been treated with sneering contempt by a minority for not being railway as I have with the heritage movement and any thoughts and observations dismissed as worthless.

    I worry how railways treat equality , LGBTQ , can they support those who are ASD and have much to give but may need extra support .

    It isn't just the WSR, I should quickly add, but it pains me to read for example Joanne Cromptons treatment which she so bravely shared at the HRA conference. There will be others and there is a darkside in the movement which occasionally comes to the surface but needs rooting out and removing and those partaking in it need to understand the destructive damage to the broader movement if some of the worst excesses kept behind closed doors ever come into the public domain
     
  5. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

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    I was merely pointing out that to contact 6,000 WSR shareholders ( of whom I am one ) INDIVIDUALLY
    ( excuse capitals … ) is not IMHO a sensible use of resources. I am not sure that the WSR Plc GM would
    recognise herself as ‘ageing white middle class men” or her commercial manager or HR manager who are
    also ladies, However never let the facts get in the way of prejudice. I doubt Seb would appreciate being
    considered ‘ageing, : I could go on !

    wrt to ‘platform 3 ‘if you cannot tell everyone don’t tell anyone’ Contacting some shareholders INDIVIDUALLY
    and not others is surely fraught with potential disaster ?

    AFAIK the most accessible ( and accessed ) source of WSR information is Mr Edge’s site ( this is available to all ).

    Similarly I am afraid that more often than not the ‘arrival’ , particularly when times are difficult is serenaded
    with greater vigour than the subsequent ‘departure’.

    My original posting was prompted by the suggestion, IMHO totally without foundation, that not only was
    Bob Meanley’s departure. ( actually partly because of travelling distance from home and partly because he believes
    he has completed the reorganisation of the Mech Eng. department ) being hushed up but that selection of his
    successor would be less than open.

    Michael Rowe
     
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  6. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    your prejudice towards me immediately reads the comment as being WSR directed instead of a broader observation but hey ho once again i'm used to having someone look down their nose at me
     
  7. Snifter

    Snifter Well-Known Member

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    That is impractical for countless reasons, hence why companies tend to have a web page with a dedicated news section. This gives the opportunity to keep shareholders and stakeholders informed. The departure of a particularly valued member of staff gives the opportunity for the board to thank them for their contribution. Furthermore, the departee can comment on how the company has gone from strength to strength and wish them well for the future. I don't see how the traditional press release and congratulatory statements would have undue influence on a successor. Can you elaborate ?

    Talking of an open selection process (and we both agree that it is good business practice), I don't recall seeing any announcement of a recently appointed director. Companies House records that they were appointed around the time of the AGM and yet I don't recall it being mentioned. Most unusual.
     
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  8. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

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    It's rare for a masonry arch to be problematic. I suppose it must be the wing walls or spandrels that are defective.
     
  9. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

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    Well yes, if you have a company that is still thinking along the lines of writing everyone a letter. The WSR plc has my email address and uses it to send me newsletters. I very much doubt that someone types in the email addresses for all the newsletter recipients individually, and if they do, that really is a waste of resources. It should be a matter of seconds to send an email to everyone who wishes to be kept in the loop about things such as the resignation or appointment of a director in exactly the same way as they are sent newsletters. I am sorry, but the idea that if you can't tell everyone, you should tell no-one is simply laughable. It is reasonable to expect the directors of a company to make some effort to contact the owners when one of their number is recruited or leaves. After all they are appointed by the owners to run the company on the owners' behalf, although I do realise it is very common for directors to behave as if they were the owners of the company. It is not reasonable to expect them to contact all the owners, when there are thousands of them, nor is it reasonable of the directors not to contact any of them.
     
  10. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    That rather assumes that the WSR is best considered through the lens of a company. Setting the semantics of legal form to one side (I don’t think anyone is arguing that bulk notification of this change would be a mandatory communication for company or society), it would appear to be good stakeholder engagement, especially where the role of supporters is important.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  11. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    or if

    I would like to extend my appreciation to Seb Walsh and the special event team for their hard work in the context of railway heritage at the moment and the WSR in particular.

    I have an idea for a WSR event a little later in the year. Details to follow as appropriate.
     
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  12. SebWelsh

    SebWelsh New Member

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    Many thanks Robin, that means a lot coming from yourself. The hard work is beginning to pay off.
    I am always open to sensible ideas for events :)
     
  13. 1472

    1472 Well-Known Member

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    I will break my silence on this often time wasting vipers den to express my admiration for the reinvigorated Gala team's efforts which Seb is now leading. All power to you and we are right behind you!
     
  14. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    Despite the critics it seems that the WSR is now making good progress and those who have been a thorn in the WSR flesh are taking a more moderate stance.
     
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  15. Robin Moira White

    Robin Moira White Resident of Nat Pres

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    Important to make some distinctions. The WSR has many wonderful features, some amazing people and great potential. The current WSR plc Board of Directors, however…

    Oh, and I’ll never be a moderate.
     
  16. ikcdab

    ikcdab Member Friend

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    I think that those distinctions are less than you think. I travelled on the line yesterday. The loco and stock turnout was exceptional. Staff were friendly and helpful, the stations looked fantastic and we had a great day. You cannot divorce this from the board of directors...who have worked to make sure the railway looks as good as it does. The gala visitors which Seb had arranged are great news and whilst Seb has done all the hard work and enormous credit to him, it couldn't have happened without the board's approval. So credit where credit is due. While at Minehead I was offered a new volunteering activity which I was very glad to accept, knowing that I can help the railway in a material way.
    Ian Coleby
     
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2022
  17. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    I seem to remember the WSR PLC being very good at issuing a press release when they wanted to make a point to the outside world, such as the one about a cuckoo. So why not a public thank-you to Bob Meanley, a summary of the good changes that he has made, and an announcement of the process to recruit a successor?
     
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  18. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    But a pity that a GWR line couldn't loan a GWR loco to a GWR line.
     
  19. billbedford

    billbedford Member Friend

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    well it was built at swindon works
     
  20. SebWelsh

    SebWelsh New Member

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    The GWR themed gala comes later...

    Variety is the spice of life :)
     

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