Published on: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Last updated: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
From left; Phil Hogg Greater Anglia, Ann Thompson Station Adopter, Martin Halliday Community Rail Development Officer. Photo Credit: Greater Anglia.
One person’s trash turned into another’s treasure following a recycling initiative on Greater Anglia’s Wherry Lines route.
During recent repairs to the car park at Reedham railway station, a large pile of bricks, believed to have been part of the stations former cattle dock were unearthed at the site and were subsequently offered to a local recycling yard in return for a donation.
Greater Anglia received £500 for the bricks, which it has donated to the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership for use towards its efforts to support the line and the work of the Reedham station adopters.
The additional funding will be used by the Community Rail Partnership towards ongoing improvement works at the station and in support of community engagement work by the adopters for which they received a top national award in 2020.
Greater Anglia Site Manager, Phil Hogg, presented Martin Halliday, Development Officer for the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership and Ann Thompson, one of the volunteer station adopters at Reedham with a cheque for £500 on 10 February.
He said, “I’m delighted that we were able to improve the car park at Reedham in a sustainable way, saving the old materials for another use elsewhere and at the same time contributing towards the amazing work that is being done by the Community Rail Partnership and volunteer station adopters in making our stations attractive, welcoming places for passengers and a source of pride for the community.”
Martin Halliday, Development Officer for the Wherry Lines Community Rail Partnership said; “On behalf of the partnership and all our station adopters, I would like to thank Phil and Greater Anglia for this kind donation which will be put to excellent use towards delivering projects that improve facilities and support to our promotion of the line.”
Reedham station first opened in 1844 on a route to Great Yarmouth as part of the first railway to be opened in Norfolk, the line between Reedham and Lowestoft opened in 1847 and this summer will celebrate its 175th anniversary. In 2020 Reedham Station won first prize in the It’s Your Station silver category at the 2020 National Community Rail Awards.