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At the 15 January 2024 General meeting it was decided to wind up the Wolverhampton Branch.
The [http://www.svr-association.org.uk/ '''Severn Valley Railway Association (SVRA) website] now carries the simple message:''' was active between 16 October 1971:to:04 and 4 October 2015. It was formed to safeguard the interests of members of the [[Severn Valley Railway Company Limited|Severn Valley Railway Company]] (the Guarantee Company) and later assumed a particular responsibility for representing the views of the working members.
==SVRA History==In May 1971 [[Sir Gerald Nabarro]] proposed to establish a public company to finance the purchase of the southern section of the line. He also proposed to wind up the original [[Severn Valley Railway Company Limited | Severn Valley Railway Company]] (the Guarantee Company) in which the individual members had a direct interest.
In response, the SVRA was formed at a 'general meeting ' was convened on 17 July 1971by several SVR members who were concerned by these developments. This unofficial meeting agreed that an Association should be formed with a Steering Committee chaired by [[John Garth]] to keep its eye on developments and generally to do all it could to contribute to the success of the Severn Valley Railway. This 'unofficial Association' was therefore sometimes referred to as "The Garth Committee".<ref>SVR News 30, "The Severn Valley Railway Association, and formally came into existence at a Personal View", Martin Withers</ref> Following that meeting, it soon became clear that the Guarantee Company also envisaged an "Association" as part of their own plans. A formal General Meeting was held on 16 October 1971, convened jointly by the Board of the Guarantee Company and the Steering Committee of the 'unofficial Association' and chaired by John Garth. A proposal that "The Severn Valley Railway Association (as formed at the meeting held on 17th July, 1971) be formally constituted with immediate effect." was unanimously approved, with John Garth being elected unopposed as its first Chairman. The SVRA was an unincorporated body, whose principal objects as agreed at the October meeting were:
*To safeguard the interests of the members of the Severn Valley Railway Company Limited
*To do everything possible to promote the efficient organisation, financial standing and growth of the Severn Valley Railway.<ref>SVR News Issue 21</ref>
Despite the continuation of the Guarantee Company, the SVRA also remained in existence and assumed a particular responsibility for representing the views of the working members. Representatives of both organisations sat on the Board of Directors of SVR(H).
There was a growing overlap in the roles of the two organisations, and around 2014 in early 2013 proposals were put for a merger appeared in hand to merge thema Working Members' Survey.<ref>SVR News 187 p. 17. </ref> These Merger talks continued through 2014, with the proposals were being agreed at the respective AGMs in 2015, following which . Following this the merger formally took place in October 2015, although an issue with its SVRH shareholding, ring-fencing unspent lottery monies and transferring assets meant winding up of the SVRA was took until 2022 to be concluded<ref>Guarantee Company Annual Reports ending 31 December 2019; 31 December 2020, p. 5; 31 December 2021, p. 3; and 31 December 2022, p. 8</ref>. ==SVRA Chairmen==Chairmen of the SVRA were as follows:*[[John Garth]] 1971-1973*[[John Hill]] 1973-1975<ref>SVR News 30, 37</ref>*[[Ron Gardner]] 1975-1980<ref>SVR News 38, 56</ref>*[[Jack Bond]] 1980-1983<ref>SVR News 57, 70</ref>*[[Chris Thomas]] 1984-1987<ref>SVR News 71, 84</ref>*[[Alvin Barker]] 1987-2000<ref>SVR News 85, 132</ref>*[[Stewart Clark]] 2000-2002<ref>SVR News 133, 140</ref>*[[Gordon Foster]] 2002-2007<ref>SVR News 141, 159</ref>*[[Alan Davies]] 2008-2015<ref>SVR News 161,</ref> ==SVRA branches==The SVR formed local branches from the early days of the railway which provide support to the SVR through their activities. The first five branches (Birmingham, Chester, Kidderminster, Warrington and Wolverhampton) pre-dated the SVRA, becoming a part of it from its establishment in 1971.<ref>SVR News 21</ref> A number of other branches were subsequently formed. The SVRA and its branches were merged into the Guarantee Company in October 2015. *Extant branches are:**'''Cheshire''' (Originally Macclesfield Branch, formed in December 1980<ref>SVR News 65</ref>)**[[SVR Wolverhampton Branch| '''Wolverhampton''']] (formed in January 1967<ref>SVR News 123 “Wolverhampton Branch – a Thirty Year History”</ref>). At the 15 January 2024 General meeting it was decided to wind up the Branch.**'''Stourbridge''' (formed in late 1971 as "Wordsley and Stourbridge"<ref>SVR News 21,23</ref>) *Other branches were:**'''London''' (began as the South Eastern Branch in 1971<ref>SVR News 50</ref> and originally based at Tonbridge.<ref>SVR News 21, 27, 28</ref> First London meeting was held in late 1974.<ref>SVR News 34</ref> Closed in December 2014.<ref>SVR News 188</ref>)**'''Bristol''' (formed January 1978,<ref>SVR News 46</ref> closed in 2005.<ref>SVR News 152</ref>)**'''Bridgnorth''' (formed circa 1993<ref>SVR News 107-108</ref>, last active in 2014.<ref>SVR News 188 et seq.</ref>)**'''Birmingham''' (formed by 1969,<ref>SVR News 12</ref> closed in 1992.<ref>SVR News 102 et seq</ref>)**'''Chester''' (formed by 1971<ref>SVR News 19</ref>, merger with Merseyside proposed in February 1974.<ref>SVR News 30,31</ref>)**'''Kidderminster''' (formed by 1970<ref>SVR News 16</ref>)**'''Merseyside''' (formed November 1973 and based at Birkenhead.<ref>SVR News 29,30</ref> By summer 1975 "the only surviving branch in the North West".<ref>SVR News 36</ref> Closed circa 1976) **'''North West''' (originally Warrington Branch, formed in January 1971,<ref>SVR News 18</ref>, meetings suspended in 1974 due to poor attendance and closed in January 1975.<ref>SVR News 32,35</ref>)
==SVRA raffles==
The SVRA organised regular raffles to raise funds for projects on the railway. An incomplete list is shown below:*The proceeds from the first two raffles in 1972 were used to buy shares in the newly-launched [[Bridgnorth TurntableSVR(H)]] - a bid was accepted , in February 1998, aided by a successful order to ensure SVRA (Kidderminster Branch) raffle and fund-raising campaignmembers had adequate representation in the new organisation.<ref>SVR News 12923, 26</ref>*In 2008 a raffle raised a record net total of almost £16Thereafter normal practice was to hold two raffles per year,000 toward usually with one organised by the boiler work on [[GWR Large Prairie 4150]].*In 2009 a raffle was held in aid of 47383Association's firebox repairsCommittee and the other by one of its Branches.<ref>[http://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1064 SVA reports in SVR Online]</ref>*The proceeds of the Autumn 2009 raffle went to the [[Diesel Depot]].<ref>News 70 (1983), SVR News 166137 (2001) etc.</ref>*In November 2013 the SVRA announced a plan to convert [[GWR 118 Tool/Riding Van]] into flexible family-friendly volunteer overnight accommodation.
==See also==
*[[The Severn Valley Railway in preservation#Current Organisation | SVR Current organisation]]*[[The 200 Club]]
==References==
<references/>
==Links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150521211233/http://svr-association.org.uk/index.html SVRA Website on Internet Archive Wayback Machine] (snapshot on 21 May 2015 prior to merger)
[[Category:SVR fundraising lotteries]]
