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2012 Trust Council meeting dates
The Council of Management is scheduled to meet on the following Saturdays during 2012:
21st January – 2:00 pm
18th February – 4:00 pm
17th March – 2:00 pm
21st April – 4:00 pm
19th May – 2:00 pm
16th June – 4:00 pm
14th July – 2:00 pm
18th August – 4:00 pm
15th September – 2:00 pm
20th October – 2:00 pm
17th November – 4:00 pm
15th December – 2:00 pm
Meetings are held in the Rectory Classroom, Church Hill, Swanage.
A Members Forum is held before the commencement of formal business to allow SRT Members to ask any questions or raise any issues which they feel the Trust Council should consider.
Regards,
Mark Woolley
Secretary, the Swanage Railway Trust
Membership subscription rate changes
With effect from 1st January 2012 annual Swanage Railway Trust subscription rates will be amended as follows:
· Annual adult membership to rise to £21.00 from £18.00 currently
· Senior membership (over age 60) to rise to £15.00 from £12.00 currently*
· Family membership to rise to £42.00 from £36.00 currently
* The senior membership category will no longer be available to new members with effect from 1st January 2012. However, it will remain in place for existing senior members.
The junior membership (5 to 18 years of age) annual subscription rate will remain unaltered at £12.00
Premier Life Membership (PLM) remains closed to new joiners.
It is hoped to issue a new membership form to coincide with the start of the 2012 main season.
Kind Regards,
Liz Sellen
SRT Membership Secretary
Statement from the Council of Management of the Swanage Railway Trust
The Council of Management of the Swanage Railway Trust is pleased to announce that at its meeting on Saturday 29th October the following appointments were agreed:
Liz Sellen – Chairman
Nick Lloyd - Deputy Chairman
Mark Woolley – Secretary
Andrew Moore – Treasurer
Paul Clements – Assistant Treasurer
The full list of serving Trust Council members is: Steve Barker, David Budd, Doug Chick, Paul Clements, Graham Cope, Steve Doughty, Jeff Gregory, Nick Lloyd, Andrew Moore, Linda Moore, Pete Renaut, Liz Sellen, Mike Stollery, Bill Trite, Mike Whitwam and Mark Woolley.
A review of the Board of Directors of the Trust’s subsidiary, the Swanage Railway Company Ltd, has also taken place. As a result of this the Council is pleased to confirm that Mark Woolley has rejoined the SRC Board as a director. The Board is therefore now comprised of seven directors as follows: Peter Sills (Chairman), Geoff Carter, Andrew Moore*, Liz Sellen*, Phil Thrower, Mike Whitwam* and Mark Woolley*. In addition Peter Milford has recently been appointed Company Secretary.
In order to ensure a common sense of purpose, it remains Trust policy that at all times over 50% of the Company directors should also be members of the Council of Management (names indicated with an asterisk*).
All positions continue to be filled by volunteers. Please refer any questions regarding the above to any member of the Council of Management.
Mark Woolley
Secretary
The Swanage Railway Trust
6th November 2011
Quality Assured Visitor Attraction by Visit England
For the fifth year running, Swanage Railway has been awarded the accreditation of Quality Assured Visitor Attraction by Visit England. This is a credit to all the Swanage Railway staff who have worked hard to make the Swanage Railway what it is today. The report noted:
“The Swanage Railway continues to offer memorable experiences to visitors of all ages and interests, staff in all areas of the attraction are friendly, proactive, enthusiastic and knowledgeable; their good customer care enables visitors to benefit from their trip on the Railway.”
Some of the key areas noted were as follows:
• Good and reliable information provided before and during the visit.
• Punctuality of the trains.
• Very friendly and helpful staff.
• Proactivity of staff adding to the enjoyment of the visit.
• Major improvements in the Bird’s Nest and shop.
• Provision of facilities for disabled passengers.
However, there are some areas where we can look to improve in particular regarding signage and cleanliness in some areas. The friendliness and helpfulness of the Swanage Railway staff is a recurring theme throughout the report from an independent professional inspector. This reflects the public’s view of the Swanage Railway as noted in our recent Passenger Survey. This showed that the friendliness of staff was rated extremely high.
Well done to everyone who has done their bit to help gain this award.
Martin Payne
Commercial Manager
27th October 2011
Chairman’s Report to Swanage Railway Trust 2011 AGM
A lot of trains have passed under the bridge since the 2010 AGM. At that time, your Council felt very much ‘on the back foot’ having recently received the resignation of the General Manager and recognising that there was a lot of work to do to put the railway back on its feet. Much has been done in the last twelve months to address the issues that were identified then, however time of course does not stand still and while we have made progress in some areas, new issues continue to arise many of which, such as the global economic slowdown, we can do little about yet pull us backwards. Truly a case of two steps forward and one back. Hopefully however, it is that way and not the other way around.
Our primary task in this last year was to improve communication, as the key to improvement everywhere else. Initiatives on the plus side include a new staff website, regular staff meetings and newsletters for all working on the railway, while for members there has been a member’s forum and work behind the scenes to update and refresh the Trust website. We hope this will launch soon, to provide members of the Trust and members of the public interested in supporting our work with a clearer and more informative picture of what we do and how to help – whether that be practically or financially. My thanks go to everyone who has been involved with bringing these improvements forward.
Cashless scrap metal trade....
The recent upsurge in metal theft- which has affected the Swanage Railway and the railway industry as a whole - has led to a demand for an amendment to the Scrap Metal Merchants Act 1964. The amendment suggests that all cash transactions should be banned forcing merchants to pay sellers through traceable means - cheques, bank transfers etc.
An e-petition has now been created and signatures are invited to bring pressure on the Home Office to introduce a change to legislation.
Please take a moment to read the online e-petition and to sign. You can find the petition at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/406
Trust Council of Management update - September 2011
A summary of some of the key issues and developments that have been discussed at the Swanage Railway Trust Council of Management meetings held between July and September 2011:
Trust Council of Management update - July 2011
My apologies for the gap in providing a news update in recent months. Whilst lately we have been concentrating on improving the standard of internet communication with Swanage Railway staff and volunteers, I am conscious that out of approximately 4000 Swanage Railway Trust members only around 10% are in a position to be active volunteers. When you add to this the number of other railway enthusiasts who have a close interest in what is happening on the Swanage Railway it is clear that this website has an important on-going role to play.
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Where People Matter
During the 2011 AGM, a video was shown highlighting the contributions made by the volunteers on the railway. Click below to watch it on our YouTube site.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLf489Imdv0