Greater Anglia has recognised volunteers in Essex who have been working with the train operator to help care for their local rail stations.
At the train operator’s annual Station Adoption Awards, the best achievements of the last 12 months from amongst its 330-strong team of volunteer station adopters were formally recognised.
Great effort and dedication was evident at all adopted stations by the volunteers, who work with Greater Anglia to improve their local stations for the benefit of the community, but particularly impressive progress or initiatives were highlighted across 11 categories including best station, best adopter group, environmental and innovation award, and community involvement award.
Essex station adopter, David Gibson, received the Judges’ Special Award for his outstanding work in caring for Witham, Cressing, and Braintree Freeport stations on Greater Anglia’s Flitch Line which runs between Witham and Braintree.
Alongside his wife, Rita, David has transformed the long platforms at these stations into vibrant displays, maintaining planters and developing new features such as a dry garden at Cressing and bee-friendly planting at Braintree Freeport.
Going above and beyond his regular duties, David also created a children’s book on railway history for Railway 200, collaborating with three local primary schools. He has since delivered engaging presentations on his research to community organisations.
Deeply involved in the station adoption network, David actively supports events run by Greater Anglia and the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership, describing the group as a “family.”
His commitment continues to grow and this year, he steps up to serve as the independent chair of the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership, reflecting his passion for heritage, education, and community engagement.
Adopter, Tracy Mills, was also recognised as ‘Best Newcomer’ for her work to improve tubs and planters at Braintree station.
Nathan Dodd and Chris Honeyman at Battlesbridge station received the award for Best Personal Contribution.
Over the past year, they have led a remarkable series of environmental and community initiatives, including raising funds with the British Legion which enabled the planting of fruit trees and winter shrubs. They have also worked with Essex Wildlife Trust on barn owl conservation, crafting an award-winning owl box with the Men’s Shed at Southminster, and collaborated with the Essex Bat Group, detecting four bat species and installing two bat boxes.
Earlier this year, they helped to transform a disused goods bay at the station into pollinator-friendly flower beds through a joint project with Greater Anglia, the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership and contractor, Hollywell, improving both safety and biodiversity.
Alresford’s team of dedicated station adopters received the Innovation and Environmental Award for their work to transform the station with imagination and community spirit.
In addition to the continuing work to restore the station building, they have turned an overgrown patch of wasteland into a stunning dry garden, complete with a hidden wildlife area. They also installed a magnificent wooden planter in the shape of a train which now takes pride of place on the platform. Most recently, they collaborated with a local school and an artist with learning disabilities on an anti-littering campaign to keep the station clean and welcoming.
The station adopter team at Hockley won the Best Innovative Contribution – Railway 200 Award for bringing their community together at the station by holding an event to celebrate 200 years of the birth of the modern railway in Britain.
Alan Neville, Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, said:
“We are so grateful to our amazing team of station adopters for everything they are achieving at their stations – and their work is loved and appreciated by the community too.
“The adopters know their stations and the needs of their community well and we are happy to support their aims through small grants and facilitating improvements.
“I would like to thank them for everything they do to help make their stations welcoming for passengers and a real asset to the community.”
Other winners and highly commended initiatives in Essex included:
Shenfield – Highly Commended, Most Improved Station
Ingatestone – Highly Commended, Best Staffed Station
Rayleigh – Joint Winner, Best Staffed Station
Chelmsford – Joint Winner, Best Staffed Station
Bures – Highly Commended, Best Adopter Group
South Woodham Ferrers – Highly Commended, Best Community Involvement
Great Bentley – Joint Winner, Best Community Involvement
Harwich Town – Joint Winner, Best Community Involvement
Burnham-on-Crouch – Joint Winner, Best Station Transformation
Witham – Highly Commended, Best Tubs and Hanging Baskets
Braintree Freeport – Winner, Best Tubs and Hanging Baskets
Audley End – Highly Commended, Best Innovative Contribution – Railway 200
Greater Anglia’s Station Adoption scheme enables individuals or groups to adopt their local railway station and contribute to its use and welfare for the benefit of their community. Station adopters work with Greater Anglia and, on some branch lines, also with the local community rail partnership, to bring about improvements or care for gardens and floral displays to benefit local wildlife and make stations more welcoming.
Greater Anglia provides funding to help station adopters cover the costs of small projects, such as the creation of station gardens and/or to purchase materials to help improve the station environment.
The voluntary scheme, which Anglia Railways introduced in 2003, built on similar initiatives elsewhere in the UK, to improve lines of communication between train operators and station users, but extended it to involve station adopters in playing an active role in keeping stations looking good – initially through beautiful and inventive gardening projects and station presentation improvements.
Over the years, adopters have expanded their activities to encompass wildlife-friendly initiatives, creative community art projects, local promotion of the railway and participation in station ‘health checks’, as well as being the eyes and ears of their station and encouraging links between the station and local communities.
