With the help of the Poacher Line Community Rail Partnership (CRP) and East Midlands Railway (EMR), the Friends of Radcliffe Station (FOR) have worked with a local group to develop some unused land at Radcliffe station into vegetable beds to aid a local food charity.

Volunteers from the FOR and the Poacher Line CRP met over two days in late March to build raised beds so produce can be grown for the local Rad Cooks Community Kitchen, which delivers free healthy meals to local vulnerable people.

With funding from the Community Rail Network, 24 sleepers and six tonnes of soil were delivered for the groups to construct and paint two vegetable beds on Platform 2 at the station before they were installed on a lovely warm spring day.

Corn on the cob, runner beans, courgettes and even potatoes will now be grown on the bustling Nottingham to Skegness line, ready to feed the local community for years to come.

Jo Andrews, community rail officer for the Poacher Line said: “The Poacher Line and East Midlands Railway are delighted to support this amazing initiative. In utilising the unused space to grow vegetables for Rad Cooks, it has really bought the station back into the heart of the community. Hundreds of partnerships and groups across the UK continue to champion similar projects, highlighting the social value and importance of Community Rail as we continue to build back better. None of this could have been achieved without the support of our partners and funding from Community Rail Network – thank you! We look forward to watching this project evolve which will help the most vulnerable in our community.”

Karine Toledano, project co-ordinator added: “Today has been the start of our new venture at Radcliffe, the build of two fantastic raised beds at the railway station, which will be filled with some yummy and healthy vegetables for the use of our local community. Thanks so much to the Poacher Line Community Rail Partnership and East Midlands Railway for supporting this project.”