21st March 2025 - TravelWatch SouthWest General meeting

[whole diary]

[grahame]

TravelWatch SouthWest?s Annual General Meeting (AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting)) will be held online via Zoom on 4 December 2020 at 1700 hrs, we will send you a separate email invitation with a link to access the meeting and password details. Please ensure that you are technically enabled to attend the meeting in advance of this time. If you are concerned about set-up arrangements, please contact Bryony Chetwode, who should be able to assist you.

and from Bryony

Despite the rapid changes in these strange times we continue working to ensure the connectivity for communities improves and facilitates future passengers, albeit online.

I am delighted to confirm that the otherwise rather dry proceedings will be enlivened by Jaime Rockhill from Network Rail, with whom TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) has worked closely during the past couple of years to develop the West of England Line Continuous Modular Strategic Plan (CMSP)

[grahame]

[TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website)] If you represent a member group ... formal zoom meeting details should be with you for Friday evening which is - yikes - tomorrow now.   At any time, one of the nightmares the TWSW secretary has is keeping up with who's who for which organisation, who's changed their email address or name, etc.  And this has been a year of exceptional change; please let me know if you should have received the following and have not done so.

TWSW is inviting you to the TWSW AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) as a scheduled Zoom meeting.  The meeting starts at 1700 hrs and I recommend setting yourself up with a cup of something beside you from 1650 hrs.

We have an exciting guest speaker to talk about the contribution that passenger stakeholders make to development of tangible strategy.  As always, it would be helpful if you could let me know who plans to attend from your organisation.

[grahame]

The previous general meeting of TravelWatch SouthWest (TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website)) was held in Taunton two years ago "on this day" as I write - 2nd March 2020.  Just two weeks later, we were in lockdown and though we have met very productively in Webinars and via Zoom a number of times since, and our board has met and been active too, we have sorely missed the "In Real Life' meetings.



So I'm delighted to announce that the General Meetings will be able to resume soon - the first one to be on Friday 20th May 2022 at a Taunton venue.  We already have a full package of topics to be covered in the sessions during the day, and VIPs (political, operational technical and academic) who are keen to talk or to sit on a panel and discuss all sorts of matters. Save the date in your diary - technically a members meeting, but we welcome any [reasonable] group to join and send a rep, and also independent individuals if we're the right forum for them.

So much is and has been going on that we risk overpacking a general meeting, and so we'll also be running a further series of Webinars / Zoom sessions - roughly once a month - through the spring and in to the summer.  I will add dates and subjects on the Coffee Shop as they are announced.

I suppose - for those who aren't aware - that I should clarify that I'm a member of the TWSW board, which is why I write "we". I do feel very much out of my depth amongst very throughful, much experienced, and properly trained people there, but the role has helped me learn and also feed back forum and passenger views. The board membership is for a three year term and expires this autumn - the AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting) will be on 25th November or 2nd December and I don't know if I'll be going for another term.

[ChrisB]

Bumping this as it's only two weeks away.....is it definitely happening on this date? Do we have a venue (definitely Taunton if not?) - I'd like to get a ticket booked....

[infoman]

Although it is nice that every one introduces themselves and who they represent,

I do find it difficult to find those who I might want more information from especially after approx sixty persons names have been read out.

Could I suggest a number against the persons name on the A4 sheets that are handed out.

Then a sticky label with the persons number on,as opposed to the name,

this saves trying to work out and straining your eyes to see the persons name on the badge.

[grahame]

Bumping this as it's only two weeks away.....is it definitely happening on this date? Do we have a venue (definitely Taunton if not?) - I'd like to get a ticket booked....

Chris, sorry, no - not happening as a general meeting, though the board will be meeting on Zoom that morning.  This is a decision made, reluctantly, within the last few days - see http://www.passenger.chat/26329 for a tiny bit of background. Too much up in the air to give you a new date (and there will be one) but I would guess it will be around 3 months out from now.

[grahame]

Just come off the TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) board where my term ends at the December AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting). General meeting scheduled for 24th June, very strong confirmed speaker line up.

Looking to the future -
* How will travel patterns change in the future and what role will public transport play
* What supports the places and communities need to grow and change
* What are the community priorities and how can we work together to support them
* Where is the funding going to come from and how can we deliver more with less
* How can we collaborate to meet our shared objectives

[ChrisB]

Can you elucidate on the confirmed speakers please?

[infoman]

As we introduce ourselves and who we represent at the start of the meeting.

Could I suggest we have a number against who we are there to represent on the hand outs instead of having a badge,

we could then have a sticky label with a very large number on it to see who they are there to represent.

Hate straining my eyes(can't be the only one) to see peoples names on the name badges.

[ChrisB]

You are number 6…

[grahame]

Can you elucidate on the confirmed speakers please?

I will publish the list officially once I have it from Bryony

[grahame]

Can you elucidate on the confirmed speakers please?

I will publish the list officially once I have it from Bryony

About this event

The TravelWatch SouthWest meetings are back. These sessions provide a unique opportunity for passengers and communities to engage with operators, policy makers, and local transport authorities together.

Remarkable things happen when you get the right mix of people in the room.

This meeting revolves around the need to create a vision and discussing the key questions:
How will connectivity patterns change in the future and what role will public transport play?
What support do places/communities need to grow and change?
What are the community priorities and how can we work together to support them?
Where is the funding going to come from and how can we deliver more with less?
How can we collaborate to meet our shared objectives?

Professor Graham Parkhurst (University of West of England and TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) Director) is setting the socio/economic/environmental scene,

Nigel Blackler (Cornwall Council) will be inspiring the audience around unity of vision and delivering an outcome which improves journey experience quality across the region and supports communities.

Mark Hopwood, (Managing Director, GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)) considers the way in which rail operators can address passenger need in light of the emerging social, economic, and environmental themes.

Go South Coast examine the ways in which can adapt to meet the evolving scene and highlights the essentials steps to be taken now.

Further speakers are to be announced.

Registration - (here)

[grahame]

I'll be there ...

YOU'RE^▸ (Religious Education) GOING TO
TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) General Meeting: Your Vision for Getting Around by Public Transport

ORGANISER MESSAGE
Thank you for registering. Diversity and inclusion is very important. If we could make it easier for someone to attend, please let us know. This is a spacious venue and we encourage older members to bring younger people along.

DATE
Fri, 24 Jun 2022 10:30 - 15:45 BST

LOCATION
Taunton

[ChrisB]

Duly registered!

The venue is The Brewhouse Arts Centre, about a 15 minute walk from the station (according to Google)

[ChrisB]

Any initial reaction from TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) seeing as though this is in strike week on the trains and, although not a strike day, likely to see early trains out of position & possibly disrupted?