The Heritage Railway Association has a new President;Â Lord Faulkner of Worcester.
Richard Faulkner joined the House of Lords as a “working peer” in 1999, and has since then held a number of prominent positions in Parliament. He is a Deputy Speaker, and was formerly a minister in the government whips’ office, with particular responsibility for transport and energy and climate change.
Members of the Heritage Railway Association Board had known for some time that the Association’s President, Dame Margaret Weston, was considering standing down from the position of President.
However they were delighted when she agreed to accept the position of Patron. This would allow her to retire from some of the activities she at present undertakes but meant that her knowledge and experience would still be available for the Association to call upon.
One name came up for the position of the new president and, was indeed suggested by Dame Margaret, so the board were delighted that Lord Faulkner of Worcester agreed to accept the position.
To the unanimous approval of all those present, the new appointments were confirmed at the Association’s AGM held at ‘Steam’ The Museum of the Great Western Railway on Saturday 5th February.
Dame Margaret has had a remarkable career, beginning with a degree in engineering and carrying out war work on the shop floor. Following a career in industry, she joined NMSI and became Director of the Science Museum in the early 1970’s. One of her first acts as Director was to set up the National Railway Museum, which opened in 1975. She also became President of the then Association of Railway Preservation Societies, which later became the Heritage Railway Association.
Faulkner has extensive experience of the railway industry, and particularly the heritage sector. From 2004 to 2009 he was chairman of the Railway Heritage Committee, is a member of the Railway Heritage Trust’s advisory panel, and speaks regularly in parliament on the subject Lord Faulkner is a graduate of the University of Oxford, having studied philosophy, politics and economics at Worcester College, where he is an honorary fellow.
