An open letter from the new Chair, David Goddin
15 February 2021 – It is just three weeks since I took on the responsibility of chairing Haslemere Community Station, and I am pleased to report that the core team is making excellent progress on fresh initiatives to deliver results for our partners, the town and future visitors.
The change in leadership follows the Department for Transport’s accreditation of the Surrey Hills to South Downs Community Rail Partnership (SH-SDCRP). Advice from the Community Rail Network was that to improve prospects for ongoing accreditation, it would be necessary to restructure and rename the original Haslemere Community Rail Partnership.
Now known as Haslemere Community Station (HCS), it remains the senior member of the wider partnership that includes community adoption groups at Farncombe, Godalming, Milford and Witley – as well as partners keen to promote the region’s attractions and access by rail.
Under the restructuring, Councillor Nikki Barton has relinquished the position of HCS Chair in order to focus on leading the SH-SDCRP. I was asked to take on the HCS role, having served on the steering committees of both bodies almost since inception. As HCS Chair I will continue to sit on the SH-SDCRP committee.
I have set myself some short and longer-term priorities. Broadly, these are to keep Haslemere Community Station active and in the public eye.
The key word is ‘community’.
Five things I want to see are:
HCS will continue to promote tourism via the Information Hub at Haslemere Station. Although the Hub is currently closed because of Covid-19 restrictions, its volunteer team has in the past helped many visitors to greater enjoyment of their time in and around Haslemere.
When travel curbs are lifted, the intention is both to increase the Hub’s opening hours and to investigate additional community-related uses that might be allowable under the existing lease.
HCS will seek to facilitate further projects of benefit to the local community, the travelling public and the train operating company, South Western Railway.
With the valuable assistance of Ken Griffiths (Honorary Secretary), Janet Steward (Treasurer) and Narn (Hub Manager and Volunteers Co-ordinator), we are already showing results.
Management
Our Constitution has been substantially updated and matched with a brace of policy documents so that the rights and responsibilities of HCS, partners and volunteers are clearly stated. These documents will be added to the website in due course and the intention is to review them at least annually.
Planning
We see a need for planned campaigns for each of the four seasons, so that we can best serve our visitors and our partners – and generate exposure via social media, the internet and more traditional media. Our immediate priority is to develop and implement a plan focusing on the coming summer. But given the current uncertainties over Covid-19, it is possible we will not see an increase in visitors until much later.
Station artworks
We are working with our partners Surrey Hills AONB, South Downs National Park Authority and the Arts Society, Haslemere, on a project to develop attractive pictorial wraps for the shelters at the pickup lay by on Lower Street, by the station car park. A similar art project is in plan for the windows of the Puccino's storeroom – part of the former newspaper kiosk – on Platform 1. We are also hoping for clearance to display the logos of Surrey Hills AONB and SDNPA on the insides of the older footbridge.
In a further development on the 'arty' front, we understand the Arts Society, Haslemere, is also keen to become a 'station adopter' at Haslemere.
Website and social media
Our website – haslemereinfohub.co.uk – is already displaying the new HCS identity and the intention is to develop it further in the coming months to provide more information for visitors, more opportunities for Haslemere organisations to promote themselves, and more substance to boost our output of social media posts, especially on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We urge local organisations to follow us on all channels and to share our posts as often as possible.
Haslemere Community News Service
This report launches a free community news service – possibly the first of its kind in the Community Rail sector – enabling local organisations of all sorts to get additional mileage for their news releases and comment articles showcasing expertise, not products. It’s also a way for contributors to get valuable backlinks to their own websites. To use this service, simply email your articles and pictures to [email protected] or paste your words into the contact form on this website. Please include contact details, in case there is a query.
The change in leadership follows the Department for Transport’s accreditation of the Surrey Hills to South Downs Community Rail Partnership (SH-SDCRP). Advice from the Community Rail Network was that to improve prospects for ongoing accreditation, it would be necessary to restructure and rename the original Haslemere Community Rail Partnership.
Now known as Haslemere Community Station (HCS), it remains the senior member of the wider partnership that includes community adoption groups at Farncombe, Godalming, Milford and Witley – as well as partners keen to promote the region’s attractions and access by rail.
Under the restructuring, Councillor Nikki Barton has relinquished the position of HCS Chair in order to focus on leading the SH-SDCRP. I was asked to take on the HCS role, having served on the steering committees of both bodies almost since inception. As HCS Chair I will continue to sit on the SH-SDCRP committee.
I have set myself some short and longer-term priorities. Broadly, these are to keep Haslemere Community Station active and in the public eye.
The key word is ‘community’.
Five things I want to see are:
- closer engagement with our partners, local businesses and other organsiations that stand to benefit from development of the visitor economy
- exploration of the possibilities for enhancing the travel experience through Haslemere Station
- a focus on more sustainable road transport connections for rail passengers
- ongoing improvement of transport and station facilities
- involvement of more volunteers – in the Hub and other Community Station activities.
HCS will continue to promote tourism via the Information Hub at Haslemere Station. Although the Hub is currently closed because of Covid-19 restrictions, its volunteer team has in the past helped many visitors to greater enjoyment of their time in and around Haslemere.
When travel curbs are lifted, the intention is both to increase the Hub’s opening hours and to investigate additional community-related uses that might be allowable under the existing lease.
HCS will seek to facilitate further projects of benefit to the local community, the travelling public and the train operating company, South Western Railway.
With the valuable assistance of Ken Griffiths (Honorary Secretary), Janet Steward (Treasurer) and Narn (Hub Manager and Volunteers Co-ordinator), we are already showing results.
Management
Our Constitution has been substantially updated and matched with a brace of policy documents so that the rights and responsibilities of HCS, partners and volunteers are clearly stated. These documents will be added to the website in due course and the intention is to review them at least annually.
Planning
We see a need for planned campaigns for each of the four seasons, so that we can best serve our visitors and our partners – and generate exposure via social media, the internet and more traditional media. Our immediate priority is to develop and implement a plan focusing on the coming summer. But given the current uncertainties over Covid-19, it is possible we will not see an increase in visitors until much later.
Station artworks
We are working with our partners Surrey Hills AONB, South Downs National Park Authority and the Arts Society, Haslemere, on a project to develop attractive pictorial wraps for the shelters at the pickup lay by on Lower Street, by the station car park. A similar art project is in plan for the windows of the Puccino's storeroom – part of the former newspaper kiosk – on Platform 1. We are also hoping for clearance to display the logos of Surrey Hills AONB and SDNPA on the insides of the older footbridge.
In a further development on the 'arty' front, we understand the Arts Society, Haslemere, is also keen to become a 'station adopter' at Haslemere.
Website and social media
Our website – haslemereinfohub.co.uk – is already displaying the new HCS identity and the intention is to develop it further in the coming months to provide more information for visitors, more opportunities for Haslemere organisations to promote themselves, and more substance to boost our output of social media posts, especially on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We urge local organisations to follow us on all channels and to share our posts as often as possible.
Haslemere Community News Service
This report launches a free community news service – possibly the first of its kind in the Community Rail sector – enabling local organisations of all sorts to get additional mileage for their news releases and comment articles showcasing expertise, not products. It’s also a way for contributors to get valuable backlinks to their own websites. To use this service, simply email your articles and pictures to [email protected] or paste your words into the contact form on this website. Please include contact details, in case there is a query.