Published on: Tuesday, 2 March 2021
Last updated: Tuesday, 2 March 2021
Diss station is to receive some extra TLC from a local volunteer.
Heather Babb has joined the existing team of ‘station adopters’ and plans to spend time tidying, tending to vegetation and planting flowers to make the station more attractive and welcoming.
Heather, a keen gardener who lives in Diss, became interested in volunteering locally after retiring from a senior position in local government.
She commented, "In normal times, many people pass through Diss on the trains and it will be lovely if, in future, they were to see the flower displays and feel like they want to get off and explore our beautiful town. I also hope to be able to encourage some wildlife through the plants we choose."
Heather will support fellow adopters, Amanda, Ann, Katie, Nikki and Chris – volunteers from Park Radio, the local radio station for Diss, Harleston, Eye and the surrounding areas.
This year the team aims to refresh the planting and maintain the gardens and other areas and encourage wildlife by installing a bug hotel and a bird box.
Alan Neville, Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, said, "I’m delighted to welcome Heather to the Station Adoption initiative and look forward to hearing her ideas for brightening up the station and, along with the existing fantastic team from Park Radio, making it a welcoming environment ready for when the current pandemic restrictions can be lifted."
Greater Anglia’s Station Adoption scheme sees people getting involved with their local rail station for the benefit of their communities, working with Greater Anglia to bring about improvements or caring for gardens and floral displays to benefit local wildlife and make stations more welcoming.
Current Government advice is to stay at home unless you need to travel for permitted reasons including work and medical appointments.
Greater Anglia continues to ensure that rail travel is safe for staff and passengers with an enhanced cleaning regime, on stations and trains, concentrating on high-touch areas such as push buttons, grab rails and door handles.
The train operator has also introduced a wide range of measures to make it easier for customers to maintain social distancing at stations and on trains - including floor markings, one-way systems, new signs and queuing systems.
It is now mandatory for customers to wear a face covering when using public transport, to help reduce the spread of Covid-19. Children under the age of 11 and people with a disability or illness which means they cannot wear a face covering are exempt from wearing them.