A Yorkshire RSPB nature reserve has been given an enhanced presence at Bempton Station with the installation of a new noticeboard.

The new signage, provided by the Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership (CRP) with support from Northern, aims to encourage more passengers to use the train to visit Bempton Cliffs Nature Reserve.

Only a 1.5 mile walk from the station, RSPB Bempton is home to one of the UK’s top wildlife spectacles. Around half a million seabirds gather there between March and April to raise their young on the chalk cliffs. Puffins, gannets, guillemots and kittiwakes can be seen from the many viewpoints during the summer months, while dolphins and porpoises can often be spotted out to sea.

The hourly train service between Scarborough and Sheffield has stopped at Bempton since May 2019, and footfall figures have increased year on year. Last year saw more than 21,000 passenger entries and exits recorded, with many of these attributed to people visiting RSPB Bempton.

Rachel Osborne, community rail officer for the Yorkshire Coast CRP, said: “The RSPB do some fantastic work here in Bempton. We like to support them and encourage more people to use the train to visit the nature reserve.

“The new noticeboard includes two lockable cases for seasonal posters, and a map of how to get to the reserve can be clearly seen from the train. It is hoped that this will encourage more people to break their journeys here or plan a day trip to the village to visit the reserve.”

Keep up to date with future news, projects and events from the Yorkshire Coast CRP via their website.

Find out more about Northern’s work in the community here.