Published on: Monday, 3 September 2018
Last updated: Monday, 3 September 2018
A group of volunteers who dedicate their time to care for a village railway station are helping to boost the coffers of a national charity.
Reedham station adopters, who are based on the Wherry Lines between Norwich and Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, will be hosting a Macmillan Coffee morning on Sunday 16 September from 11.00 to 14.00.
Homemade cakes will be on offer, along with prizes to be won at a tombola and raffle.
Alan Neville, Greater Anglia’s Customer Engagement Manager, said: “It’s a lovely way to spend a Sunday – catch a train to Reedham, enjoy some tea and cake and know you’re supporting a good cause. We hope this event is a success and as many people as possible attend.
“Reedham station adopters go above and beyond to keep the station looking welcoming. They make every effort to involve the local community and have even created their own museum on the platform.”
The ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme 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.
Launched in East Anglia by Anglia Railways in 2003 with a broader aim of improving station presentation, its scope has grown still further, with station adopters now playing an active role in keeping stations looking good through inventive gardening projects, creative community art schemes, participation in station ‘health checks’ or by being the “eyes and ears” of their station.
Greater Anglia now has 93 of its 133 stations “adopted”, with over 200 volunteers across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire helping to make their station an impressive gateway to their local community.
Anyone interested in joining the Adopt a Station scheme should contact [email protected]