Melksham Rail User Group - meetings for 2020

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Melksham Rail User Group is moving to a larger room - at the United Reform Church, which is just off the Market Place in Melksham.  This is just a couple of minutes walk from our previous (Town Hall) Room.

Regular meetings for 2020 are scheduled for Wednesdays  22nd January, 18th March, 20th May (our AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting)), 22nd July, 16th September and 18th November, with formal proceedings starting at 19:30.   We plan to have guest speakers at a number of our meetings (perhaps alternate ones), and initial plans for something special are for 22nd January.   Whilst the meeting will be aimed at Melksham and its train users (and wannabe users), it will be of interest to other Coffee Shop members who can make it too - and the evening will be organised so that you can catch the train afterwards - our new 21:10 opening up that new opportunity.

[Reginald25]

The next Melksham Railway User Group meeting will be held on Wednesday 22nd January 2020  (19:30) at  Melksham United Reformed Church hall (new location used for the November meeting, see below). To ensure we have sufficient seats, please could you advise me whether you are coming to info@mrug.org.uk.

This meeting will include a presentation by Guy Watts of GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) on fares. If you have any specific questions, it would help if you could give advance notice of them to info@mrug.org.uk. We have also been looking at Melksham town bus services and if time permits this may also be covered.

Other points of interest

•   We hope to have a full program of other events (outing, Santa, Carnival, guided walks etc) in 2020, and your input would be welcomed.

•   4 members of the group have been trained to undertake tidying activities on the platform. One target will be to improve the flower beds.

•   You may have seen the works ongoing to lay a new pipe to the ex-Reeds hut, the first part of the station improvements. 2020 looks a good year for the station.

•   GWR have some special advance fares from Melksham in their sale  available from GWR.com/sale or the GWR app and are advance singles. Booking open 16 Jan to 26 Jan, (travel dates from 23 Jan to 3 April)


The church (address High Street, Melksham, SN12 6JU),   is on the opposite side of the road to the town hall, adjacent to the Kings Arms, (opposite Lloyds bank and almost opposite the town hall)  The hall entrance is at the back, and is accessed through the archway  by the bridal shop (about 20 metres left of the church). There is car parking by the entrance for up to 12 cars or you can use Church Street car park and cross the high street by the pedestrian crossing.

For your advance information, the following is the planned schedule for 2020, all at 19:30, and at the same location.

•   22 January 2020 including a presentation and Q&A of GWR fares from a senior GWR representative
•   18 March 2020
•   20 May 2020 (inc AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting))
•   22July 2020
•   16 September 2020
•   18 November 2020

The November 2019 minutes are located at  http://www.mrug.org.uk/lib/minutes191127.pdf. Previous meeting minutes can be found at   http://www.mrug.org.uk/meetings.html

[grahame]

Melksham Rail User Group / CoronaVirus response

Our meeting on 18th March 2020, at the United Chuch just off the market place, will run as scheduled, although we'll leave a slightly larger gap than usual betwwem chairs.  We 100% understand if anyone chooses not to come - minutes will be online afterwards and officers happy to discuss matters with members.

We will plan for our survey at Melksham Station, working with volunteers and partners, on 5th May 2020, and this will include distribution of summer timetable leafltes.  Whether addiitional measures and changes are needed, we'll decide nearer the time, but prepartions can go ahead even if the method of delivery is amended.

13th May 2020 is 35 years since Melksham Station re-opened, and we had been planning a re-union trip for everone who was there that day.  Bearing in mind the more senior profile of the people involved, there is a strong probability that we'll reserch for 13th May 2020, but postpone the event itself until 13th May 2021.

[grahame]

Meeting (18th March) now cancelled ... from John, our secretary:

Colleagues
 
With the current and rapidly changing  situation, we have been considering the viability of the planned meeting for MRUG^» (Melksham Rail User Group - site) on 18th March, and the officers have concluded that we should cancel this meeting.
 
In lieu of our regular ‘minutes’, the officers will be preparing a newsletter for circulation, expected in late March.
 
Graham, our vice-chair, has indicated that he is happy for anyone with questions to telephone or email him at  graham@wellho.net.
 
As you know, significant changes to our bus services are happening in early April, with Faresaver taking over all Melksham to Bath services. It’s good to be able to report that these include evenings and Saturdays, where they previously did not operate on this route. Thank you Faresaver.
 
The next meeting in May is also subject to the situation nearer the time, we may need to revise the year’s schedule completely. Currently the planned meetings are:
 
20 May 2020 (inc AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting))
22 July 2020
16 September 2020
18 November 2020
 
Minutes of recent meetings can be found  at http://www.mrug.org.uk/meetings.html and the groups activities in general at http://www.mrug.org.uk.
 
Best regards
John

my comments as to the background:

I’m thinking that a meeting would PROBABLY be safe - however, “probably” perhaps isn’t good enough bearing in mind the high stakes if we were to get it wrong in an unknown situation, and indeed the risks of being seen as antisocial.  So - even though we may be stoking up hysteria, balance would suggest we skip the meeting.   Smaller Officer’s meeting on Thursday 19th, with reports which can be emailed out (“newsletter”) and I’m happy for folks to email or phone to discuss and / or do so on a public online forum

[grahame]

From MRUG^» (Melksham Rail User Group - site) May newsletter

The Melksham Rail User Group AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting), due on 20th May 2020, won't happen. Your current officers in these exceptional times are carrying on in post as usually happens at our AGMs anyway. If we're able to hold our September meeting, we'll bring AGM business forward there; if not, we'll look to an online meeting with interactive facilities for members (not just showing you a video)

[grahame]

On the day that the MRUG^» (Melksham Rail User Group - site) (Melksham Rail User Group) AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) (Annual General Meering) was due to take part ... an update on MRUG events and news.

RECENT PAST

Most recent newsletter - May 2020, published at the start of this month
Online at http://www.mrug.org.uk/mrugnews_202005.pdf

Most recent meeting was online on 13th May
Slides at http://www.mrug.org.uk/wclub_20200513.pdf

PRESENT

Current public transport tables (18th to 22nd May)
http://www.mrug.org.uk/timetable.html

Generel Melksham Area Board update - online TONIGHT (20th May 2020) at 19:00
Transport will only be a small element but I have been asked to share the link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85462952687?pwd=cmw4V09Ycml2b09PNlpIakVNM1hoUT09

FUTURE

Next newsletter - to be published early days of June 2020
Link will be on http://www.mrug.org.uk

Next online meeting - Wednesday 10th June 2020, 16:00
http://www.passenger.chat/23458

CONTACT

MRUG officers can be contacted via
their Facebook page -
email - info@mrug.org.uk
And I'm vice chair - contactable via this site and I can pass through

Public transport contact numbers - emergency and trasport operators
http://www.mrug.org.uk/safety.pdf
includes (bus) companies not currently providing any services
includes diary dates which are no longer happening 'in real life'

[grahame]

18th November - MRUG^» (Melksham Rail User Group - site) meeting is online as follows.   For local members who are not online / do not have the technology, MRUG is looking to provide them access to the extent allowed and safe for a group gathering (outdoors perhaps) in the town

Entrance to this meeting will be via a waiting room.  Attendees who are not know to us - you are very welcome but please get in touch in advance to that we can welcome you properly into the main room.

Please note that we default to video on ... so please make sure that you are your background are legal and decent!


Graham Ellis is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Melksham Rail User Group meeting
Time: Nov 18, 2020 07:30 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82766099385?pwd=bXJUdnNrZHJ0STdrNDR6UmRJM0t3dz09

Meeting ID: 827 6609 9385
Passcode: 428716

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcElTpJO1

[grahame]

Melksham Rail User Group meeting. All Welcome.

Time: Nov 18, 2020 07:30 PM London ('Room' open a few minutes earlier)
Join Zoom Meeting via https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82766099385?pwd=bXJUdnNrZHJ0STdrNDR6UmRJM0t3dz09

An update ...
* Melksham Hub update
* Service and travel status / performance
* Station adoption update

A look a little forward ...
* Timetable 21 (and beyond)
* Service support from MRUG^» (Melksham Rail User Group - site)
* Journey Makers
* Buses 21

MRUG activities ...
* Promotion 21 and events 21
* Pandemic considerations
* Meetings 21
* Web site

Of more general interest in Melksham ...
* Melksham bypass - Public and sustainable transport and environmental matters

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Meeting ID: 827 6609 9385
Passcode: 428716

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcElTpJO1

[grahame]

Notes at http://www.mrug.org.uk/mrug20201118.pdf . Designed to be actually useful after the meeting.  Please take a read and see how we have done.