WSRA Volunteer Trustee with a fundraising remit.

The West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) Board have agreed the need for an additional Volunteer Trustee to join the Board with the specific remit of Fundraising. This is in order to help develop and oversee the WSRA’s future fundraising activities. It is an unpaid volunteer position which the WSRA have identified as a key part of their future direction in order to build a robust and comprehensive fundraising solution to help support the West Somerset Railway to develop and grow into the future. Working in partnership with the West Somerset Railway PLC and other members of the WSR Family will also play a key part, and as such its importance to the future of the wider WSR cannot be overstated.

It has also been agreed, in addition by the WSRA Board, that a professional fund raising solution/team be put in place in the coming period which this person will help develop, implement and oversee. Therefore the person we are looking for must have experience of fund raising at a suitable level, be a strategic thinker, be able to plan how this project is formed and to help set its strategy and direction.

Although unpaid, becoming a Trustee with this remit at this time will be very rewarding in terms of satisfaction, personal enhancement and betterment, test the person’s skills and help add and build upon somebodies existing portfolio of achievement. Working with a wide range of internal and external partners and in effect putting in place this strategy from scratch will allow the right person to achieve a solution which is rare as an opportunity, and will have a large and lasting positive effect on the WSR as a whole.

The person chosen for this role will need to be or become a WSRA Member and whilst in the first instance maybe co-opted to the WSRA Board by their fellow Trustees, will as requirements dictate need to be voted in by the membership at a later date. For the right person this is an exciting and unusual opportunity which doesn’t come along very often and is available to anybody in the community with a suitable background whether they have a current connection with the WSR or not.

In the first instance please contact Andy Norman, [email protected] or 07590 487885 for more details and an informal chat to discuss the opportunity further.
Notes:

•  The West Somerset Railway is the longest heritage railway in the UK at nearly 24 miles long. It attracts nearly 200,000 visitors a year to the area and is run by around 1,200 volunteers supported by nearly 50 staff. It is run by the community, for the community as a not for profit organisation supported by a number of Charities and support groups.
•  The WSR has a large number of heritage, educational and training resources along what is the only complete Victorian built volunteer run heritage branch line in the UK.
•  WSR Volunteers come from all ages and walks of life and the volunteer roles which are available to anybody are often not railway focused. With 10 Stations along 24 miles of railway comes: 10 gardens, miles of fencing and lineside, 97 bridges and culverts, 8 Café’s, 5 mechanical signal boxes,
• 3 Museums, 3 Engineering centres, 2 shops, 2 restoration centres, a complete signalling, telegraph and internal telephone system and a commercial department, all of which need manning and maintaining. That’s not to mention the various Boards of Directors and Trustees, therefore there is a role to suit most people’s needs. In addition the social circle alone is often the reason for people to come and enjoy being involved.
•  The WSR runs an intensive service most of the year, with 7 day a week operation during the summer season. Its steam engines run in the region of 50,000 miles a year, supported by heritage diesel services running a further 10,000 miles per year. It is also connected to the mainline at Taunton and hosts a large number of excursion trains both steam and diesel from London and other UK cities bringing visitors to the area.
•  The West Somerset Railway Association is the main support charity for the West Somerset Railway.
•  WSR Volunteer Andy Norman is the Project Manager leading on this project for the WSRA.
•  For more information about the railway please visit www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk
•  For more information about the West Somerset Railway Association please visit www.wsra.org.uk
•  For any other information please contact the WSRA General Manager Jacquie Green at [email protected],

Published by the West Somerset Railway Association, The Railway Station, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton, TA4 3BX,

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