Published on: Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
A local couple has transformed an area of land at Weeley rail station, returning it to its former glory as a station garden.
Ruth and Robin Whitworth have replanted the garden following vandalism and a period where it was inaccessible while work was carried out to install a new footbridge.
As the station’s ‘adopters’, Ruth and Robin, with the help of a working party co-ordinated by the Department for Transport and the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership, set about clearing the weeds and making the area look attractive with chipped bark and a range of stunning new plants.
Abellio Greater Anglia’s Area Customer Service Manager, Petrina Murphy, said, “Now that summer has arrived, the garden is really blooming and looks fantastic. I’d like to thank everyone involved, and in particular Ruth and Robin, for their hard work which has created a very pleasant atmosphere for passengers using the station.”
The ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme started in 2003 and 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 the train operator and station users however, over the years it has grown to become much more, with station adopters now playing an active role in keeping stations looking good through inventive gardening projects, creative community art projects, taking part in station ‘health checks’ or being the eyes and ears of their station.
Over the years, station adopters have also played a key role in raising money for new initiatives, such as improved waiting facilities or planting beautiful station gardens.
Abellio Greater Anglia now has over 183 adopters at over 90 stations across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.