Meldreth Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group and Community Rail Partnership: some changes
At our most recent Meldreth Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group meeting, the idea was floated of amalgamating our Rail User Group and Community Rail Partnership into one entity. We said we would look to make changes this spring.
Before proceeding however, we wanted to put the question to our rail user community: would anyone be interested in taking over the Rail User Group, continuing under the same structure as at present?
By way of background, the Meldreth Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group was founded in 2009 as a constituted group Constitution (meldrethsheprethfoxtonrail.org.uk). The scope of its activities developed significantly and in 2013 a Meldreth Shepreth and Foxton Community Rail Partnership was formed, to pursue more fulsomely community development projects aimed at community cohesion and access for all, with a focus on young people and their futures.
The CRP was further strengthened in 2018 with the creation of a Community Interest Company to oversee the CRP, and funding for a Project Officer post. That post has from the inception been hosted by South Cambs District Council, with salary costs funded by the Train Operating Company and four parish councils – Melbourn, Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton. The MSF CRP is accredited by the Community Rail Network and publishes an annual report, which can be found on our website.
Key achievements of the rail campaign that the CRP has worked to sustain over the past 14 years include:
- a unique 50% discount fare for 16–18-year-olds living, learning and travelling within Cambridgeshire
- free parking at Shepreth and greatly reduced parking charges at Meldreth, in recognition of year-round volunteer efforts to maintain well-tended station platform gardens at all three stations.
- Lobbying for optimal day-to-day train services including forthcoming direct link to the new Cambridge South Station.
- Active travel infrastructure for connections to stations.
The Rail User Group remains part of the Meldreth Shepreth Foxton Rail endeavour, as set out on the umbrella website. But its ‘campaigning’ functions sit apart from the CRP.
The CRP could amalgamate the RUG’s ‘train services’ interests into its brief; certainly, the CRP’s core purpose depends on healthy, optimum local rail services and it would seek to champion this through collaborative working with the rail industry and local stakeholders. But rail users may prefer to retain a measure of independent campaigning, under a standalone Rail User Group heading.
Your views would be welcome and certainly if you have any interest or curiosity about taking over the Rail User Group, please get in touch and we’d be delighted to speak with you. If we do not receive feedback, we will proceed to wind down the RUG in its current constituted form and look to absorb the responsibility for championing optimum rail services within the context of the CRP. Regardless, a public RUG meeting will be held on July 2, 2:15PM, at the British Queen pub in Meldreth to move to either outcome. All welcome and please look for us probably outside, or up on the balcony – please ask at the bar!
Finally, we would love to hear from anyone who might like to play any role in the rail campaign: whether getting involved in station gardening, helping with admin for our occasional meetings, attending rail consultation events happening all around us, or anything else.
Thank you!
Susan van de Ven
Chair, Meldreth Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group and Community Rail Partnership
