A fond farewell and a warm welcome!

At our recent AGM meeting, we said a big thank you to Jon Harris, who has stepped down as Chair of Gloucestershire Community Rail Partnership.

 Jon has chaired the Partnership since its inception in 2020, supporting GCRP through six years of growth, change and new opportunities across Gloucestershire. His leadership, encouragement and thoughtful challenge have helped shape the Partnership and the way we work with communities, partners and transport decision-makers.

As Jon reflected in our recent Impact Report, the dedication of our Steering Group, staff team and partners has been central to GCRP’s journey. We’re grateful for everything Jon has brought to that journey and for his belief in the value of community-led approaches to transport.

 We wish Jon all the very best for the future and thank him for his contribution to GCRP.

We’re also delighted to welcome Samyutha Balasubramaniam as our new Chair.

 Samyutha brings extensive experience in customer service leadership, transformation and strategy within the rail industry. Through her career at Great Western Railway, she has worked across customer service, operational improvement, community engagement and organisational change. She is passionate about creating better experiences for customers and communities, building strong partnerships, and making rail more accessible and inclusive.

 As Chair, Samyutha will bring this experience to her work with GCRP, supporting our independent, community-focused approach and our role in connecting community voices with transport decision-makers.

 We’re looking forward to working with Samyutha as we begin the next chapter of GCRP and continue working towards a more inclusive, positive and sustainable public transport system that connects people and communities across Gloucestershire.