The "Coffee Shop" - changed over the years, and looking forward

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Here we are, just a fortnight into 2023, and 137 of our members have been logged in to the forum already. 79 of those members have been registered members for over ten years. Looking right back to when the forum started, the 137 members between them have posted 196,106 messages.

From a disparate group looking for better information about passenger train services and how best to use them in the Thames Valley and west thereof, we have grown into a knowledgable resource.   From a protest group we have grown into a group that looks to partner with the rail industry and government where we can to help advance mutual betterment.  From a bunch of individuals we have grown into a family of colleagues and friends with many shared standards and ideals, and an understanding and appreciation of one another when our views do not align.

Three years ago, when Covid "hit", most of our members suspended their travel; for some of them, commuting 5 days a week has never returned. The forum remained buoyant with all the news of changing circumstances, and as webmaster I found myself spending a great deal of time in the hitherto-untried realm of online meetings, and in phone chats with comrades who were likewise adapting to new circumstances.  It has pulled the group very much closer, even if we have not seen people with whom we met frequently since the spring of 2020.

Lisa and I were delighted to meet on Saturday with a member and his wife who we have not seen in real life for three years; it felt just like old times and was really enjoyed. On Sunday I was messaging with a member about a totally different topic to public transport / a friend made in the forum. And then this morning, an incoming email from another friend who I have not seen in years and who had worryingly disappeared off our radar. 

I don't know what our next three or 10 years will bring; I know there are challenges in the public transport sector in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), but I look forward to facing those challenges with friends here, and enjoying doing so in your real, electronic, virtual or etherial company.

And finally, then - if you are a friend or member - thank you. If you are visiting us as a guest - please join us.  It's free, it's free from adverts, and we would love to have you alongside us and adding power to each other's team elbows in the future.