With changing laws relating to web sites, content, and online safety we have checked our forum out, and changed a couple of things to ensure that we meet not only the spirit but also the methodology required by the Online Safety Act. We have provided an updated legal notice at
- and a link to it and to a reporting email address at the base of every page.
For the purpose of keeping a copy of all the key stuff in one thread, here is the legal statement as it stands today.
Legal Notices
Should you be concerned at the content of any page on this forum, please email
admin@railcustomer.info and describe your concern. This email address is on the base of all pages.
It will help our team if you use the link on the page that concerns you. That helps us identify the page and context. Our team will acknowledge your email and will react and respond further as appropriate.
* This forum is run by the "Great Western Coffee Shop Passenger forum", an unincorporated association whose constitution may be found at
https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/r1761.html . It is provided for the public transport user (past, present and future) and is independent of public transport providers and specifiers, and of local and national government. However, the ethos of the forum is to be partners with such organisations where (and they usually but not always do) their operation and decisions align with those of their users.
* The forum was founded in 2007, and since then a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, and the legal framework on web site provision has developed. We (the team behind the forum) have always considered the wellbeing and safety of our community and guests to be paramount, and for that to be done within the law so we welcome this formalisation and we have always found that we meet the spirit of any new law, though at times we have had to (and may have to in the future) make further changes to meet the letter of the law where it specifies a methodology.
* Messages posted on the forum are posted by registered members, who are responsible for their content. All posters are required to agree to our terms of use prior to their first post, in which they commit to being legal, decent and honest. We do welcome differing views within our forum's areas of interest. The full text of the agreement, and also forum use guidelines, are to be found at
https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/r1761.html.
* Should you wish to take a matter further once you have reported it (see top or base of page) and we have responded, you may appeal to the webmaster ( graham @ sn12.net ) or write to us at 48, Spa Road, Melksham, SN12 7NY and we will respond within 4 weeks.
* Should content which contravenes our terms of reference be posted, it will be removed by one of our team of moderators. This is a manual process, so not instant, but we look to getting unacceptable content out of public and regular member view at the earliest practical opportunity.. We minimise the risk of inappropriate posting in the first place by allowing posting only by registered and approved members. Our moderators are a handful of responsible regular visitors who routinely see all new content and are likely to spot any issues fast, and forum software flags the webmaster if none of the moderators has been around for a while. Members whose posts are removed from public view should note that we initially will err on the side of caution if a member of our moderator team is concerned at the content of a post, moving it into quarantine; this process is simply while we check on a concern and does not imply in itself any statement that the post broke our acceptable guidelines.
* In addition to removing material which contravenes our terms of reference, our administrators may impose appropriate sanctions on members who post that material. It is our policy that such sanctions will be measured, and we understand that contraventions of the terms of reference by members are often unintentional.
* We maintain records of issues which come to the attention of the moderator team, and of the time of visits by moderators and admins to forum content to allow us to confirm that we watch as required by law.
* We do not collect personal information beyond what users choose to add to their profile, and we do not request any financial data. We cannot read your password; our webmaster can reset your password if you loose it, subject to appropriate checks that it's your account.
* Our forum and searchable content is hosted on virtual servers in England and English law shall be primary in our operation. We look to conform to English law including but not limited to laws on Cookies, Accessibility, Privacy and Online Safety.
Revised and published 15th January 2025
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