Anniversary webinar on March 20

Published: 12 March, 2024 | Tags:

This is an online event at 6pm GMT (earlier than previously advertised). It is free but participants need to book their place:

Please consider giving a donation to help defray the costs of the event, which include the purchase of Zoom and EventBrite subscriptions.

The webinar will look at the campaign one year after its launch with nearly 50,000 signatures registered. Speakers will include Ashford MP Damian Green and Andrew Osborne of Ashford Borough Council, with room for questions after the presentations.

The webinar will last a maximum of 2 hours.

Please register early to give us an idea of numbers. THE EVENT WILL BE RECORDED

Provisional timetable

6pm Welcome from Bring Back Euro Trains

Introduced by Bushra Aktar and Cllr. Diccon Spain. Analysis and presentation of the petition data

6:20pm Andrew Osborne / Mark Welch – Head of Economic Developments – Ashford.

Ashford Borough Council working in collaboration with Kent County Council have undertaken a major survey of the business community to assess the impact of the loss of international train services to Kent.

6:30pm Jean Claude Cothias – Director of MailXpertise Group.

Jean-Claude is director of a local IT business, based in the Eurogate business park in Ashford. MailXpertise Group (https://www.mailxpertise.com/)

6:40pm Rt. Hon. Damian Green – Member of Parliament for Ashford.

Including questions to Damian Green from Bring Euro trains team.

7pm Michael Solomon Williams – Director of Campaign for Better Transport

Why international train services from Kent to continental Europe matters not only to business but is crucial to developing a UK wide sustainable transport strategy.

7:10pm Edith and Michael Robson

Edith Robson led the successful 2008 campaign to ensure Eurostar trains continued to run direct to Brussels from Ashford. A campaign which proved so successful that in 2015 a weekend Brussels service was added, and a new service to the south of France.

Michael Robson, a rail industry consultant with 40 years experience will give his views about which operators are most likely to emerge as a competitor to Eurostar.

7:20pm Bring Back Euro Trains

Summing up and questions.