Spring Conference 2023, day two
Review, refresh, re-invent
The HRA Spring Management Conference 2023 - Day Two
Saturday, 11 March 2023
9.00am (for 9.30am start) - 1pm approx.
Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, adjacent to Holiday Inn, Hill Street, Birmingham, B5 4EW
09:00 Arrival, registration, refreshments and networking. Tea/coffee and refreshments kindly sponsored by Steam Railway magazine
09.30 Welcome and introduction to the Day – Steve Oates, Chief Exec, HRA
09.40 Collaborate and Merge! – Opportunity or a daft idea? Neil Sime, Safety Director, Kent & East Sussex Railway
In 1923, dozens of individual railway companies found themselves swallowed-up and merged into one of the ‘Big Four’ new regional companies. 100 years on, Neil Sime leads a discussion on whether there’s lessons to be learned for today’s challenging economic climate, and asks if there needs to be more sharing of expertise, resources, equipment and people, closer working relationships and potentially even mergers of heritage railway companies …
10.10 The sidings are full, cash is tight … what do we do? Anthony Coulls, Senior Curator of Rail Transport & Technology, National Railway Museum
There’s stuff everywhere! At current restoration rates it’s reckoned that on some railways there’s well over 100 years work waiting in the sidings to be tackled! And what about all the artefacts, archives and collections stuffed in boxes and back-rooms? … and then there’s the
small matter of keeping and maintaining the rolling stock fleet and those
items already on display. With cash, expertise and resources all in short supply, Anthony takes
us through the realities of maintaining and retaining our heritage, and our duties as charitable custodians of rolling stock and artefacts held for public benefit.
10.40 A 25-year-old’s reflections on encouraging and developing younger heritage volunteers
Matthew Teller, Young Rail Professionals Heritage Engagement Manager
Young Rail Professionals (YRP) was founded in 2009 to promote the rail industry as a great place to work, to inspire the next generation of railway talent and to develop young people to reach their potential. Following a successful working trip to the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways in November 2018, their heritage railway programme has gained impressive support and momentum with trips to other heritage railways, while the Ff&WHR now benefit from three working visits
each year. Young Rail Professionals Heritage Engagement Manager, Matthew Teller shares some thoughts on how to engage with younger volunteers, based on his own experiences as well as those of friends made over a decade of volunteering, a mainline career in major operations projects and generally being an enthusiast.
11.10 Break – Networking - Tea/Coffee. Kindly sponsored by Steam Railway magazine
11.30 Labour’s View on Heritage and Tourism- Jeff Smith MP, Shadow Heritage Minister
With a general election less than two years away, the political parties are already moving into campaigning mode!HRA President and senior parliamentarian, Lord Faulkner, introduces a specially recorded video message for the HRA conference from Shadow Heritage Minister Jeff Smith MP, in which he sets-out Labour’s approach to heritage and tourism.
12.00 We’re all in this together … so let’s Review, Refresh and Reinvent!
Neil Sime, Matthew Teller, Anthony Coulls, Chris Price and Paul Lewin look at the opportunities ahead and invite conference delegates to highlight, share and discuss their suggestions to help every heritage railway, tramway, funicular railway, museum and rolling stock group useful ‘takeaways’ and credible ideas to face the 2023 season with confidence …
12.55 Round-up, Close and Depart. HRA Chief Exec, Steve Oates
13:00 Lunch, kindly sponsored by Steam Railway magazine, and the opportunity to network with colleagues.