As a co-operative, we are owned and run by our members. If you are interested in what we are doing and would like to help us on our journey, we would love to hear from you. You can sign up as a member, volunteer, or invest in us.
We understand that not everyone has time or money to spare – if you don’t, please consider sharing Go-op’s story either by telling those around you or on Social Media.
Membership
As a co-operative, we are open to membership from anyone who is a prospective user of our planned rail services. We are a multi-stakeholder co-operative, meaning that alongside passengers, staff and supporters each have their own ‘class’ of membership with a significant but limited voice.
All members can participate in General Meetings and have their vote on a range of decisions, including voting for, or putting themselves forward to be on, the Board of Directors. Once we are up and running, we hope to have local committees around each of our stations, where local members can come together and share with us any changes or improvements they would like to see.
We would very much like you to become a member today! To be a member, you must hold a minimum amount of share capital – for prospective passengers, that is £25. If you are seeking supporter membership (for example, if you don’t live in Somerset and Wiltshire and so might not use our trains) a greater investment is needed – at least £500. You need to be aware that while your investment can earn interest and attract 30% tax relief, it is at risk if Go-op does not succeed as a business. To understand the risks and rewards fully, you should read the share offer document and business plan before buying any shares.
The links below take you to an online form, which includes details on how to make payment.
Read our share offer document and business plan
- Any capital you subscribe is at risk if the business gets into difficulty
- Read the business plan to learn about the opportunity and risks
- Read the share offer document to understand the terms and conditions
Become a member now
- Minimum investment of £25 if you expect to use our services
- Become a member within one month of you application
- Go-op benefits from early access to your funds
- If it is more convenient for you, make repeated smaller deposits (eg £25 per month) to secure tax reliefs
Pledge to join later
- Minimum investment of £250 if you plan to use our services, £500 otherwise.
- Place funds on deposit with Crowdfunder until we have secured sufficient investment to launch
To view a copy of Go-op’s rules, navigate to our ‘About us’ page.
Volunteering
As a start up organisation, there is always more to do and we would be grateful to hear from anyone who is willing to help out.
We are particularly interested in hearing from people with knowledge of:
– Rail Industry
– Community Engagement
– Social Media, Communications and Marketing
– Bookkeeping
We also have a couple of spaces on our Board of Directors if anyone is looking for a more formal volunteering role.
Interested?
If you would like to volunteer, please get in touch via the contact information below and let us know a bit about you and what you might be able to help with.
We also ask that you let us know if you are/have:
– Computer literate
– Able to come in to Taunton office at times; or able to work from
home, using a PC & internet connection
– Good written English
– Knowledge of railway industry at operational level
– Knowledge of railway industry at managerial level
Apprenticeships
We will also be offering Apprenticeships once we have approval from the Office of Rail and Road. For more information on the kind of Apprenticeships we are hoping to offer, see this page.