- The name of the association shall be ‘Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways’. For campaigning purposes, the name ‘Bristol Rail Campaign’ shall be used.
- The Purpose of FoSBR is to ‘campaign for better, more inclusive rail services as part of an integrated public transport network for Bristol, Bath and the West of England’. FoSBR is not aligned with any political party but will engage with all politicians and organisations that share our aims. FoSBR is a tolerant and inclusive association.
- Business year: The business year shall begin on the 1st January and end on the 31st December.
- Subscriptions are due annually on the anniversary of the last payment.
- Officers: A minimum of four trustees shall be elected by the General Meeting. Other officers may be co-opted to the Committee by the trustees as required.
- Resolutions can only be approved at an AGM if 15 or more members are present. There will be a quorum of 4 for committee meetings.
- A General Meeting will be called annually, in the first quarter of each year, to present a summary of the past year, look ahead to the forthcoming year, to elect officers and to present the financial accounts for approval.
- In addition to the AGM, there will be other open meetings and events during the year for all members and the public to attend.
- The Committee will meet during the year as required (but not less than 4 times). The Committee will consider and act upon the needs of the moment and ensure the association’s aims are being pursued.
- Extraordinary meetings can be called by a majority of the Committee. Members will be given one month’s notice of the General Meeting or any Extraordinary Meeting.
- There will be no voting by proxy. Only members who are paid up subscribers by the beginning of the AGM (or EGM) are eligible to vote.
- FoSBR is a not-for-profit association. All monies will be used to further the aims stated in clause 2.
- In the event of the association being dissolved, any assets will be applied for purposes the same as or similar to those of FoSBR.
Ratified at FOSBR AGM on 11th March 2026
CIO Proposal
At the 2024 FoSBR AGM members agreed to ‘…take steps to set up a CIO in the name of Bristol Rail Campaign’.
At the 2026 AGM members noted and approved the proposed CIO constitution, subject to approval by the Charity Commission. They also agreed that once an application by Bristol Rail Campaign to become a (non-profit) Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) has been approved by the Charity Commission, memberships and assets will be transferred from Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways to the Bristol Rail Campaign CIO.
A CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) is a legal entity which may improve our credibility, and protects members from personal liability and makes it easier and cheaper to obtain services such as insurance and admin software. We may also be able to claim Gift Aid on members’ subscriptions.
The constitution for this new organisational structure is available here: Bristol Rail Campaign Draft Constitution. Members are invited to read it and pass on any comments or observations they may have.