Volunteers are being sought to help drive improvements at a number of stations in Essex.
Greater Anglia, the train operator which manages the stations, is looking for more volunteers to join its ‘Station Adoption’ programme, which helps make stations more welcoming and attractive, with help and ideas from local people and organisations.
The Station Adoption initiative enables individuals or groups to adopt their local railway station and contribute to its presentation and welfare for the benefit of the local community.
The voluntary scheme was originally created to improve lines of communication between a train operator and station users. However, in East Anglia, the initiative was taken one step further to include small scale projects (usually involving gardening or planters) to improve station presentation.
Over the years it has grown to become much more, with station adopters now playing an active role in keeping stations looking good, not just through gardening projects that create an attractive welcome, but also through additional work to support local wildlife and biodiversity, by delivering creative community art projects, by taking part in station ‘health checks’, or by promoting the railway locally, in addition to being “the eyes and ears” of their station.
Stations which currently have vacancies for adopters are Althorne, Hythe, Kelvedon, Manningtree and Marks Tey.
Hythe and Kelvedon have never been adopted before. At Althorne, Manningtree and Marks Tey, Greater Anglia is looking for additional people to join the existing station adopter groups.
At Althorne, Hythe, Manningtree and Marks Tey station adopters will also have the support of the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership which works in partnership with Greater Anglia to help keep rural branch lines thriving.
Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, Alan Neville, who runs the Station Adoption initiative said:
“It makes such a positive difference when the community is actively involved in their local station.
“Station adoption creates mutually beneficial relationships and dialogue to help us understand what improvements are important to local people, and promotes civic pride and wellbeing by bringing people together and enhancing public spaces.”
“I would love to see these stations – some of which have never been adopted before – benefit from the additional focus and care that the scheme provides.”
Greater Anglia provides funding to help cover the costs of small projects, tools and materials to help improve the station environment through its Station Adoption initiative.
Station adopters can be individuals, groups or organisations. Anyone interested in adopting their station should contact [email protected]
