TravelWatch SouthWest (TWSW) was established in 2001 as The South West Public Transport Users Forum (SWPTUF) to promote the interests of public transport users in the South West of England government region (comprising the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire and the unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Bristol, North Somerset, Plymouth, Poole, South Gloucestershire, Swindon and Torbay) – the Forum became a Community Interest Company, limited by guarantee, in August 2005. SWPTUF adopted the trading name of TravelWatch SouthWest in June 2006 and the Community Interest Company changed name to TravelWatch SouthWest CIC in November 2008.

Membership of the TravelWatch SouthWest CIC is open to every notforprofit organisation in the South West England government region whose sole or principal purpose is to represent the users of any public transport service or to promote the development of public transport services. Membership is also open to other notforprofit organisations in the South West England government region who represent the interests of special and potential classes of public transport users e.g. the disabled or the elderly. TWSW currently has over ninety affiliated organisations.

TWSW, which is a social enterprise company, acts as an advocate for passengers to lobby for the improvement of public transport in the region and works closely with local authorties in the South West. With the dissolution of the former Rail Passengers Committee for Western England in July 2005, TWSW is the sole representative body for public transport users throughout South West England.

We organise twice-yearly meetings. Speakers are invited from government agencies, the public transport industry, including bus and train companies, airports and ferry operators. At these events, delegates may enter into the discussion, helping to locate and progress service improvements and to ensure that public transport is given the high profile that it deserves in regional transport policy and funding.

Directors

Christopher Irwin - Chair

Ray Bentley - Director

Frank Chambers - Director

Gordon Edwards - Director and Company Secretary

Joe Lynch - Director

Cate Mack - Director

Vinita Nawathe - Director

Jenny Raggett - Director

Stuart Walker - Finance Director

Summary information for TWSW directors

Chris Irwin

Chris is an experienced passenger champion. As chair of the statutory Rail Passengers' Committee for Western England, he launched the South West Public Transport Users' Forum, the fore-runner of TravelWatch SouthWest. He is the Vice-Chair of the European Passengers' Federation, the organisation that links public transport users' organisations throughout Europe and European Policy Adviser to Passenger Focus. When the EU set up the European Railway Agency in 2004 to oversee the creation of a modern, safe and integrated railway network throughout Europe Chris was appointed to its board as the passengers' representative. He now chairs its Finance, Budget and Resources Sub-Committee.

Besides serving as a non-executive director of Thamesdown Transport, Chris is an adviser on transport matters to a number of official national and European bodies. He is also a member of the South West's Regional Transport & Infrastructure Board, of the SW RDA Board's Infrastructure Advisory Group and currently chair of South West Stakeholders, the organisation that links economic, social and environmental stakeholder groups throughout the South West.

Chris, who lives in Wiltshire, spent much of his earlier career working in the international media. He was one of the founders of what is now BSkyB, Chief Executive of BBC World Service Television and Managing Director of Guinness World Records and its associated companies around the world.

Ray Bentley

Ray finished a local government career in transport eight years ago as Head of Transport at Plymouth City Council where his responsibilities included public transport. He has since done consultancy work for Torbay and the Southwest Regional Council. For six years after leaving Plymouth he was a non-executive director on the Boards of Northern Ireland Railways, Ulsterbus and Belfast CityBus.

Gordon Edwards

Frank Chambers

Joe Lynch

Joe has a varied operational and planning background in public transport, having worked for operators, local authorities, Bus Users UK, on secondment with the Regional Transport Team at GOSW and as a self employed transport consultant. Since 2009 he has worked for Passenger Focus as a Passenger Link Executive on bus issues in the south west region.

Catherine Le Grice Mack

As a graduate in geography and economics, Cate had a first career in teaching in comprehensive schools, ranging from rural Cambridgeshire to inner city London. Her second was as the founder of Norwood organic farm in the 1980s, a farm devoted to producing local organic food for local sale, breeding native breeds of farm livestock, with a visitor centre.

She has been a District councillor and leader, a county councillor, and from 2000 to 2009 a member of the Social, Economic and Environmental partners (SEEPs) of the regional Assembly, with particular interests in planning and transport, housing and climate change policies. She has been chair of the regional Rural Affairs Forum, which was set up to advise Defra on rural matters, having been a founder board member of the Countryside Agency. She is involved in 'third sector' work through her position as chair of the Norton Radstock Regeneration company, and chairs the regional CPRE rural study group.

Vinita Nawathe

Jenny Raggett

Stuart Walker

Chair Transition Penwith - works to engage all sectors of the community in addressing two of the greatest challenges of our time: climate change and fossil fuel depletion

Chairman Helston Railway Preservation Company Limited – progressing the restoration of a section of the Helston Branch Line as a heritage railway

Treasurer Railfuture Devon and Cornwall I qualified as a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 1988 and currently work in Local Government.