Q&As 12.1.13 - notes taken at Bridgnorth and Kidderminster sessions
Bridgnorth session
Achievements in 2012:
- 1501 returned to traffic
- On Children in Need through Morgan Challenge
- MPD paid staff working weekends
- Network Rail connection at Kidderminster completed
- 35,200 Santa tickets
- Share Offer on BBC Breakfast
Targets for 2013
- Maximise share sales through to September (currently 40% new, 60% existing shareholders)
- Finalise SteamWorks
- Charitable Trust
- Gain support from funding agencies
- Determine spending profile - projects listed but not allocated
- Pilot Heritage Training Academy
- Continue MPD improvements
- Improve volunteer communications
- Finalise new Rolling Stock Agreements
- Approve construction of Diesel Depot
- Enhance Marketing
Finance
- Budget based on 205,000 passengers; focussing on yield per passenger
- 50p increase on whole line fare; 65% of full fare for children
- £60k target profit
Marketing focus
- Increase family visitors
- Increase enthusiast visitors
- Maximise share offer sales
- Raise profile of Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust
- Expand markets in education, footplate experience, contract engineering, corporate hospitality
Infrastructure focus
- Draining of Bridgnorth Station back lane
- Water treatment plant at Kidderminster
- Mezzanine in Boiler Shop
- Diesel Depot
- Accounting job costing software in MPD & C&W
- Victoria Bridge improvement
- Track relaying of Kidderminster crossover, straightening out sharp bends
- Borehole test at Bridgnorth
Share spend
- Heritage Skills Training Academy
- SteamWorks initial phase
- Hagley Hall
- GW set
SteamWorks/Bridgnorth Redevelopment
- Designs modified following consultation
- Conservation Plan
- Business and interpretation plan
- Quantity Surveyor
- 9 Feb Steering Group
- 19 Feb H Board
- March internal publication
- July onwards HLF submission at stage 1
Volunteer Communications
- 3 Q&As each year, at Kidderminster and Bridgnorth
- Annual social at Engine House
- Video recordings of Q&As on SVRLive
- Monthly round-up from GM as noticeboard issue
- PCs at every station for staff access to SVRLive
- Training in use of SVRLive
SVRCT
6 months in, at Jan 2013:
- dedicated fundraising office
- campaign and annual income by June 2015
- campaign income to fund SteamWorks, Academy, Hagley Hall, GW carriages
Golden Jubilee campaign
- campaign £4m, ie capital projects
- annual income £450k
- endowment £10m, capital protected, interest funds railway
Bransford Trust given £5k to Academy
Regular monthly donations
HLF catalyst endowment fund.. good progress on stage 1
Launch of SVRCT January 2013
Launch of Golden Jubilee campaign once £1m achieved.. £60k in first 2 months
Lord Cobham patron of Hagley Hall
2 years work to do
Every £1 spent on a heritage railway journey, £2 to the local economy -research by HRA
Q&A BH
Q: Recognition of volunteer value.. free travel for partners of working members on production of travel pass. Was at discretion of TTI. Suggested Pass+1 endorsement.
A: Volunteers are vitally important, improved communications, MPD change to 7 days paid staff. Shareholders & Members Weekend explained how important volunteers are. All directors are volunteers. If we can persuade people to do something for free.. volunteering does cost money. We need to pay attention to it.
Q: You pay to be volunteer, as a company we can give you a free space to travel.
Q: Shareholders get specific number of trips; propose something similar for volunteers, and not subject to TTI discretion.
Q: Skills matrix, what % returned, how many taken up.
A: 100s forms, Chris Bond infrastructure manager uses it. Managers choose to look at it when specific skills are needed.
Q: We seek to attract families but price has gone up. Suggest tier 4-8, 9+
A: We will look at it. We have new Family Annual Pass and Kids Club. Value for money. Break points. Looking at competition, 65% is norm elsewhere, we must not be busy fools. Pe-booking prices frozen.
Q: Skills matrix not in membership pack
A: We will do something about that.
Q: Lease of Apley field
A: H Chairman's job to influence Lord Hamilton re extending lease; on John Leftwich & Nick Paul's to do list.
Q: WMNL/SVRN lots of new managers of some sort
A: Poor sales and marketing plan, no volunteer available; Clare recruited part-time 3 days weekly. Visitor Services / Marketing Dept to be looked at this year.
Q: Review of Marketing dept; needs populating on SVRLive so we know who to approach on different issues.
Q: Is MPD now fully staffed.
A: Wheel lathe to have new staff trained up. Need to build up capacity in MPD, to avoid hire and permit contracting out.
Q: At the Holdings AGM, shareholders were asked to return small holdings.
A: 18k shares have been transferred to SVRCT. Some have transferred them to us, then bought more.
Q: KR and BH buffets not using reliable local suppliers; if cost is affecting quality it's the wrong approach. Volunteers are the 'guinea pigs' for the food quality, and local buying = goodwill.
Mess facilities vs catering for volunteers in BH redevelopment. Volunteer accommodation looks like
a Nissen hut. Traditional image preferred. What is happening to the PW.
A: We are looking at plans, see what we can do; all aspects are being looked at and modified.
Q: Reports on figures in WMNL have disappeared.
A: Will be in new GM round-up.
Q: Lifetime working members pass after retirement.
A: If someone has demonstrated devotion, it should be a right.
Q: Where will the BH PC for SVRLive be located?
A: Suggestions invited.
Kidderminster session
- Family events to encourage family markets; Mumsnet and other social media.
- Reprofiling to promote SVR as a brand. Expansion potential.
- Demo of stay produced on new CNC machine, takes 3 mins vs 30 mins by hand.
- Board will decide which projects to prioritise from share issue.
Q: Marketing - timetable leaflets fold-out version preferred by visitors. Has no word 'timetable' on front.
A: Others say fold-out is too cumbersome.
Q: Timetable A in 2013 include diesel to HY.
A: Trying to satisfy different needs; breaks too long; avoiding another steam loco. A+ timetable this year to try out.
Q: This timetable is vast improvement, but June includes retired people and service is too short.
A: TTIs need asking.
Q: When clocks change, can timetable change? Xmas timetable could include winter tabling.
A: Trying to keep it simple; engines need to get back to right place; trying to use daylight. Likewise, many people like night trains.
Q: Fare structure, aiming at families, should be careful not to be too greedy; big railway charge from 5, have half discount. In high season families have travelled miles to come on holiday. Gone from Kids for a Quid to 65%.
A: We've done a lot of comparison with other heritage attractions. Our own budget is important. Online prebooking is frozen; trying to encourage pre-booking. New annual family pass offers 2ad+4ch week after week. EPOS will enable speedy data monitoring to check any market resistance.
A: Email address list now 13k who can be told about pre-booked frozen fares. Percentage of online bookings 10% excl special events. More than sold by BY. Special events especially are pre-booked.
Part of the experience is buying at the old fashioned ticket office, and will always be part of what we do. Online buying, and using technology, will increase.
A: Share offer £3m. Up to 90% could be matched by HLF. Shares relaunch in March. Total cost 80k of share issue, so already clear net £1m. Another 40k promotion should get the £3m.
SVRCT, £100 - £10k share purchases. Charitable activity will be>£100 and £10k+
G coy owned 25% of share holding before this issue. At the G AGM agreed that 25% should be maintained. Agreed G would go to membership, ask for £20 p.a. over 3 yrs to go into fund to buy them. In March will be article and leaflet to do this in SVRN.
New volunteers trickle not flow into train crews. Need to look closely at staff recruitment. Need to attract people not railway orientated.
More volunteers in MPD post staff restructuring. Paid staff leading volunteers.
Today 43106 some 30-40 volunteers assisting.
We must put money into the company so we do not lose control.
Attracting volunteers; younger people needed, eg Guy Martin tv show. People put forward to face promotions should be younger.
We are trying to engage with women, the mums of the families: promote insides of our carriages.
Q: In summer, there were no steam locos available - how to avoid.
A: Loco fleet too thin, circumstances came together to conspire. Now changed spring supplier, leading time 8-9 weeks, but springs £1k each. All the work on MPD is to make sure sufficient locos available, currently too thin. Working hard to build up the fleet. In this 5 week closure period, maintenance. Lot of change over last 12-18 months. Overhaul takes long time. More volunteers are now joining in. New accounts software package can show how things are working by coming out quicker and at lower cost.
2016-17 to get to 12 in fleet.
80 - 50 years old, most of our locos. We need money to overhaul locos, and to accelerate staff numbers
We need to recruit skilled people to help get our fleet up, then we can contract out too. Ditto in C&W.
Spring changes now take half a day with the wheel drop.
KR parking conditions need attention. Talking to Thomas Vale on this. Maybe include KR parking in the BH redevelopment bid. Chris Bagley trying to relocate sleepers. S&T store being built by Spring. Will all tidy up the car park.
PW volunteers are 6 to 1 paid staff. At times a sense of direction is needed. The MPD concept will go further.
BH new build: old designs are undergoing a total transformation. Please wait patiently to see revised designs. In an ideal world we would not have done it the way we did. Designs would have been drawn up, costed, agreed, then gone off to prospectus. Why so wide of mark re design? Design has had good feedback from funders. Now trying to balance different views. Revenues need building up at BH; all needed financially.
Diesel shed will be phased, but will happen. Needed for 20 yrs, now happening.
Loco owning groups criteria and costs being assessed; 10 year list. Shortlist constructed by loco owners. Standard Tank overhaul is not a priority for its owner. Loco insufficiency due to lack of money and lack of staff. Loco crews need to also learn maintenance and restoration.
