Published on: Tuesday, 30 July 2019
Last updated: Tuesday, 30 July 2019
Villagers and representatives of Greater Anglia are bidding a fond farewell to two long standing community heroes.
Paul and Kathrine Haworth, who have lovingly tended Burnham-on-Crouch rail station for almost a decade, are saying goodbye to the station and the village to move closer to family.
The Haworths ‘adopted’ Burnham-on-Crouch station in 2011 and set about completely transforming the neglected station gardens into a real community centerpiece.
Over the years the station garden has taken on a subtropical appearance, thanks to their hard work and the area’s micro climate.
This led to their efforts being recognised last year at Greater Anglia’s Station Adopter Awards, where they won the ‘Best Staffed Station’ award.
They were also praised for their efforts to promote the railway in the community and creating a leaflet about local walks from the station.
Greater Anglia’s Community Engagement Manager, Alan Neville, who runs the Station Adoption scheme, said: “Paul and Kathrine have worked closely with us over the years to make Burnham on Crouch station a welcoming place for their community.
“They have suggested improvements, promoted the railway to residents and even created a leaflet of walks from the station.
“Their dedication has been breath taking and I’d like to thank them for everything they have done over the years to make Burnham on Crouch station a lovely place. They will be sorely missed.”
The village’s newly formed ‘Green Spaces’ group will take over the care of the station gardens and continue to involve the nearby pre-school in gardening activities.