THE Bude and Holsworthy Railway Action Group (BHRAG) held its first meeting on Tuesday, November 8, at The Falcon Hotel, Bude.

Richard Wolfenden-Brown led the meeting by thanking those present and reflected on the large initial interest and broad spectrum of ages present at the meeting. He also commented on the passion the cause appeared to have ignited.

The ‘just-for-fun’ referendum that was held during the Bude Youth Theatre’s performance evenings saw 100% of those involved in favour of the railway reopening in Bude.

Mr Wolfenden-Brown then opened the floor for everyone to introduce themselves, give their reasons for wanting to attend the first meeting and put forward any suggestions.

Mike Moore, a train enthusiast, suggested that they could create a formal group with some form of fundraising aspect in order to hire a room or increase publicity. He also put forward the possibility of an annual membership scheme to raise funds and to keep interested parties informed.

He said it might be ‘appropriate to become a charity’ and that they could invest in a feasibility study, which could take up to 10 years in reality.

Chris Jewell, a member of the Canal Society, agreed that a formal group would be a good idea but that they could have occasional wider meetings for all supporters to attend. He also expressed his interest in seeing the railway pass a key section of the canal on its route to Bude.

Expressing their concerns over Bude becoming cut off due to the lack of a rail link were Dorothy, Sarah Jane and Amanda. They raised concerns that there could be an impact on tourism, education and age of families or people settling in Bude if the town were to ‘remain so remote’.

Representatives from OkeRail CIC were also present. Bob Rush and Michael Ireland provided the newly formed group with advice on the Okehampton to Exeter link, which would need to be opened first, and the pitfalls of politics and the timescale of a project like this.

Peter Blake expressed his desire to register his frustration with the lack of efficient public transport in the area and the hours that are wasted on a journey up to Exeter.

Finally, Drew Simpson said that he felt strongly that North Cornwall and West Devon were so cut off from the rail lines, hospitals and culture. He concluded that he would like to see the railway brought back but in the mean time thought better support for improved bus links was important.

The aims of the group were then agreed upon. They agreed to publicly support the OkeRail group in order to establish an Okehampton to Exeter line first and to make their campaign to open a Holsworthy to Bude line a real target.

Discussions were held over getting local politicians onside and it was suggested that MP Scott Mann should be invited to each meeting. The question of an optimistic and pessimistic timeframe for the opening of any rail link was discuss with the OkeRail representatives adding that 2018 was their optimistic goal and 2030 their more realistic one.

For anyone interested in the group the next meeting of the Bude and Holsworthy Railway Action Group will be on Wednesday, December 7, at 7.30pm, at The Falcon Hotel in the cocktail bar.