1 Community Rail 2020/21 2 3 Contents Foreword I am delighted to pen this introduction as a great Foreword 3 believer in Community Rail. I was brought up at the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership 4 end of a busy, thriving branch line in the Thames Valley and served as a teenage committee member of the Southeast Communities Rail Partnership – North Downs Line 8 local Passengers’ Association campaigning for Sunday Severnside Community Rail Partnership 11 trains and other timetable improvements! South Wessex Community Rail Partnership 15 Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership 17 So, I feel I understand how Community Rail and of course announced the start of our brings people together. It builds connections tenth partnership on the route from Reading TransWilts Community Rail Partnership 20 and it helps communities to thrive. This last 12 to Basingstoke, The Brunel line. We have months have been an enormous challenge, with also made progress in transitioning the Heart Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership 22 volunteers unable to spend time at their stations, of Wessex CRP to the new South Wessex and the usual hustle and bustle and flurry of CRP, and there will hopefully be more good Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership 24 events and activities suspended or moved to news later this year when we jointly host the South West Wales Connected Rail Partnership online platforms. national Community Rail Awards with South 28 Western Railway in Southampton. Community Rail Network 32 Despite that, when lockdown rules allowed, it was community rail lines that were amongst GWR is delighted to be the first operator Community Rail Award Winners 33 the most resilient. These are the routes our in the UK to get a project through the new customers really valued. Not only were they “Restoring your Railway” process with services Community Cohesion Funding 39 used by essential workers, they were also now destined to return to Okehampton and the routes that took people out and about to the Dartmoor Line soon. We also have more enjoy the countryside, or the seaside, or just to new stations under construction and more expand their daily walking route. They will be under development with our various partners the routes that holidaymakers head for as we all across the network. plan for staycations and day trips this year. There have also been some very sad moments We are now on the cusp of restrictions being this year too, we have lost colleagues and lifted from the second lockdown. We need our friends and our thoughts are with all those community rail lines to be ready for that, and who have suffered a loss. It will take time to make sure that we give returning, and new to get back to full strength, and there will be customers the very best experience. This is lasting changes. However, the work you have how we will rebuild rail and how we will restart done this year, and for so many years before, the shift from car to train. Community Rail and has put us in the right place so that together our brilliant volunteers have a key role to play in we can keep connecting communities by rail. that and we are looking forward to welcoming you back into our stations, and back to planning Thank you for everything you have done, and innovative and exciting events to give customers now let’s prepare for a brighter 2021/22. the confidence to travel again. Pandemics permitting there have been some very good moments for GWR Community Rail this year, we have welcomed new partnerships Mark Hopwood Front page: Calstock Viaduct by Howard Pratt and Stapleton Road Peace of Art Mural from South West Wales and Gloucestershire Managing Director 4 5 Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership We bring together local authorities, GWR and others to support the counties’ branch lines. In this most challenging of years we innovated to support the local community and developed new resources ready to help re-build rail patronage. From the very start of the pandemic, the To support local businesses during the Partnership focused on three things: pandemic we ran a series of campaigns to highlight independent retailers in rail- • Supporting our communities served destinations. With our message • Helping keep the railway front of mind of “Shop online now, then visit by train Our new-look webpages for the branch lines • Sharpening our communications when you can” we created a book trail of more than 60 local bookshops on our resources ready to help the branch lines Our other key goal during the year was To this end we embarked on a project to GreatScenicRailways.com website. We bounce back to enhance our marketing materials refresh our existing walks with updated followed this up with a vinyl trail of record ready to help re-build rail patronage instructions and new photography, as Our strong presence on social media, in shops, as well as promotions of local pasty when circumstances allowed. Our Great well as adding brand new walks in both particular Facebook where we now have shops and independent places on the Scenic Railways website plays a major counties. We developed a new, more more than 20,000 followers provided an branch lines to buy Christmas gifts. role in our digital marketing and attracts attractive and informative template excellent platform. During lockdowns, we 180,000 visitors a year in normal times. for the walks for our website and for shared rail trivia and our extremely popular When travel was permitted during We invested in the site in 2020 to improve printable downloads. ‘Pic of the Week’ feature, which regularly Summer 2020, we highlighted the both the design and content of our pages attracted thousands of likes and helped excellent station cafes along the Tarka for each line and for featured stations. We also collaborated with local YouTube keep the railway firmly in passengers’ Line, with Eggesford Crossing Café In early 2021 we revamped the site’s stars ‘Cornish Walking Trails’. When minds even when they were not able reporting a slew of extra bookings, as a navigation on mobile phones, which make travel was permitted in early autumn to travel. direct result of our promotion. up 60% of our traffic, to make it even 2020 they created a 25-minute film of a journey on the Tamar Valley Line and the We also shared positive rail stories such as easier to explore the site and to discover walk from Gunnislake station through the improved Newquay service introduced new day trips by train. the Danescombe Valley to Calstock. The in December 2020 which fulfilled a We also homed in on our ‘Walks from film has already been watched by more long-standing ambition of earlier trains the Railway’ as a key offering for when than 5,000 people, gaining dozens of to and from Newquay. Our social media passengers could travel again. With people positive comments. campaign, which included a Facebook having been cooped up for long periods ad targeted at Newquay residents, was and with many indoor activities either backed up with print advertisements cancelled or restricted, getting out into the in both the Cornish Guardian and the countryside has a huge appeal. Newquay Voice. Our Tarka Line Foodie Guide 6 7 Meanwhile in Cornwall we look forward We are also creating new interpretation to the installation of two fantastic new boards at Plymouth and Gunnislake pieces of artwork at Carbis Bay and stations to promote the range of day Lelant stations. In early 2021 we ran a trips and walks that the Tamar Valley competition to design Direction of Travel Line has to offer. And at Bere Alston signs and were thrilled when it attracted station we have secured grants from more than 75 entries. The standard was the Railway Heritage Fund and the extremely high, and the judging panel – Community Rail Development Fund to including representatives from the Rail renovate the old signalbox, which will Partnership, GWR and Network Rail as be used as a base and potting shed for well as the Mayor of St Ives and local the local Scout group to help their work artist Jo Mayes – were so impressed that looking after the station planters. they decided we should create a poster of all the shortlisted entries to be displayed at stations on the line. Our Pic of the Week feature on social media showcased great shots like this one of Calstock Viaduct by Howard Pratt. Looking ahead, we are relishing the chance to make the re-opening of the Dartmoor Line to Okehampton a huge success. We have led on the development and design of the DartmoorLine.com project website, working closely with GWR and Network Rail, and are involved in proposals for disused rooms in Okehampton’s main station building and advising on heritage aspects of the station, including signage. Once the line re-opens we will of course A 2019 Summer Sunday service on the be throwing our full weight behind Dartmoor Line. marketing the new services. One of the winning entries in the St Ives Bay Line art competition, by Darcy Flint. 8 9 Southeast Communities Rail Partnership – North Downs Line Jessie’s Seat Jessie's Seat is a living memorial to a Some railway people and members of railwayman, Henry Wicks, who was killed the local community knew about the Southeast Communities Rail Partnership CIC (SCRP) covers eight in an accident on Leap Day 1892 near topiarised box tree that is Jessie's Seat, lines, working to connect communities to their railway across Chilworth on the North Downs Line. but not many. It is so close to the line that no-one can visit it or see it.