GORDON Nicholls, who had played a major part in getting improved service at Pewsey station, is looking for someone to take over his job as the local railway passenger association representative.

For 20 years Mr Nicholls has voiced local opinion about the train service at Pewsey to the Newbury and District Railway Passenger Association (NDRPA).

Currently 13 trains a day stop at Pewsey compared with three up trains going to Paddington and three down trains when Mr Nicholls first joined the NDRPA.

He said he has seen the number of passengers increase from just half a dozen catching the first London train of the day to probably six or seven times that number.

Now he is looking for someone else to take over his voluntary role as the village representative on the railway passenger association.

Mr Nicholls moved to live in Pewsey in 1981 and in 1983, having served on a railway passenger association when he lived in Bishops Stortford in Hertfordshire, and became the local representative for the NDRPA.

Having been retired for eight years Mr Nicholls said he rarely travels by train. Ideally, he said, the railway passenger association representative, should be a regular train commuter.

He has put flyers in the ticket office at Pewsey station hoping that someone else would volunteer to succeed him as the local representative on the NDRPA but so far without success.

Mr Nicholls, who is involved in several other voluntary community organisations, said: "It is rather essential that the position should be taken over by a person who is a regular traveller and can keep up with the daily aspects of the railway."

The NDRPA has regular meetings with the train operators to discuss timetables, fares and other issues, said Mr Nicholls.

He said: "Over the years they have built up a good relationship with First Great Western."

Anyone wanting to know more about the role of the NDRPA should contact Mr Nicholls (01672) 562523 or speak with the Pewsey station manager.