Community Rail Network is excited to announce the shortlisted entries for the 2026 Community Rail Awards.
The Awards, now in their 21st year, recognise the vital work carried out by community rail partnerships, station friends and other community groups working to connect communities with railways and stations.
Organised by Community Rail Network, the Awards recognise a diverse array of projects that support stronger, greener, more inclusive communities, served and connected by their railways and the wider sustainable transport network.
The winners will be announced at a high-profile awards ceremony in Derby on Thursday 19 March 2026, supported by headline partners East Midlands Railway.
See the full shortlist below.
Sarah Chilton, director of communications and policy at Community Rail Network, said: “Our Community Rail Awards showcase the amazing projects, initiatives and people across Britain that make community rail. This year we’ve received more than 250 submissions and as always, the standard of entries has been extremely high.
“We’re looking forward to joining our colleagues from across community rail and the rail sector to celebrate their hard work, positivity, and dedication at our Awards evening in March.”
This week also sees the launch of the ever-popular Community Rail Awards Photography Competition, where people can vote for their favourite photo that best captures the essence of community rail. Cast your vote here.
Find full details of the 2026 Community Rail Awards here.
Involving Children and Young People – sponsored by London North Eastern Railway
- North Notts & Lincs CRP and 7th Retford Scouts – 7th Retford Scouts Good Passenger Project
- Platform Rail – RailWAY
- Friends of Ore Station – Youth led projects at Ore Station
- Gloucestershire CRP and Oxfordshire CRP – Youth Transport Forum
- 6VT Youth CRP – Rail Explorers
- North Staffordshire CRP with East Midlands Railway and CrossCountry Trains – Skills Builder Accelerate at Forest Park Primary School
- Community Action New Forest and Young Carers with New Forest CRP – Travel Training: A Respite Day for Young Carers
- Bishop Line CRP, Northern and all partners – Bishop Line Secondary Schools Rail Safety and Careers Event 2025
Empowering Diverse Groups – sponsored by East Midlands Railway
- Fran Shelley and Helen Blake – Suit Yourself – Free 12 week back to work course
- Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company – Try the Train with Carlisle & Penrith refugees
- Gloucestershire CRP, GWR, Piper Holmes and Ella McLean – Exploring LGBTQIA+ Gloucestershire
- Southeast Communities Rail Partnership and Optalis – Travel Ambassadors
- Penistone Line Partnership with Artworks South Yorkshire and SYMCA – Sheffield Station Exhibition & Art Trail
- Community Rail Cumbria and the Adult Learning Team – Train with ESOL
- Oxfordshire CRP, MIMA, Oxfordshire County Council – Calm Spaces Report
- North Notts & Lincs CRP, Friends of Shireoaks, ArtWorks South Yorkshire – Shireoaks Station Mural
Community Creative Projects & Station Arts – sponsored by Avanti West Coast
Shortlisted by group size:
Large groups
- Oxfordshire CRP – Moving Murals
- Community Rail Lancashire with Arts2Heal – The Clitheroe Line – A Picturesque Railway Journey
- The Billericay Men’s Shed, T.i.M.E, Southend Museums and c2c Railway – Victory in Europe 80 with the Billericay Men’s Shed (Dementia Support Group) Singers
Medium groups
- Thomas Pocklington Trust and Essex Sight Loss Council – Do You See What I See
- Severnside CRP, Bath Welcomes Refugees – Our Home
- South East Lancashire CRP – Wonders of Wigan Mural
- East Suffolk Lines CRP – Chaos to Calm
- Co-Creative Connection – Celebrating Connection through Co-Creative Community Rail Workshops
- Bishop Line CRP with Ann Cuthbert and Pam Plumb – Write on Track
- Severnside CRP, West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, Aumairah Hassan – Progression
- FACET March – Sunflower mosaic project
- White Cliffs CRP and Strange Cargo – Resident Platform Project
- Leeds-Morecambe CRP and St. Peters CofE Primary School, Heysham – Birds of the Bay
Small groups
- Greening Arundel and the Green Team with multiple partners – Nature in Art: Art in Nature
- Friends of Buxton Station – Easy as ABC: A Bumblebee-friendly Community!
- Friends of Ore Station – The Street Art Project
- Wokingham Learning Disability Partnership Board – Railway 200 Artwork
- LonGBoaT Wakefield CIO – Wakefield Kirkgate Station Adoption
- Ashurst & Colbury Community Group – Railway 200 mural
- Friends of Bishopstone Station CIC – Station Art And Photography for the Community
Small Projects Award (under £500) – sponsored by Hitachi Rail
- Kents Bank Station Library – The Pop-Up Station Buffet
- Barton Cleethorpes CRP – Try the Train Safely
- South East Lancashire CRP – Fingers in Many Pies Food Event
- Abbey Line CRP – Tales, Trails and Trains: Abbey Line CRP at Bricket Wood Armed Forces Day
- Community Rail Cumbria, Councillor Trisha Thomas – From Eye-sore to Eye-conic: Grange-over-Sands Gallery
- Friends of Burton Joyce and Lowdham Station – Newark Brake Trials
- Southeast Communities Rail Partnership and Eastbourne Model Railway Society – Box End Green model railway
- TransWilts CRP – Wiltshire Bingo Trains
Most Effective Communications Campaign – sponsored by Govia Thameslink Railway
- Isle of Wight and New Forest CRP with ‘The Riot Act’ – TravelSafe
- Southeast Communities Rail Partnership – Annual Review 2024-25
- Abbey Line CRP – From Rail to Reel: Celebrating the Abbey Line through film
- Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company – ‘Things to do on the Settle – Carlisle Line this weekend’
- Gloucestershire CRP – The Story Express
Best Community Engagement Project – sponsored by RSSB
- Farnborough Street Residents Association – Farnborough North Community Hub
- Esk Valley Railway Development Company – New Forget-Me-Not Dementia Train
- Friends of New Milton Station – Our First Year – A Whole Town Project
- Cambridge Sustainable Food CIC – The Travelling Garden
- Marston Vale CRP and Bedfordshire RCC – Rails to Roots at Ridgmont Station Heritage Centre
- Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership and the National Trust, Cotehele – Tamar Valley Blossom Festival
- Unexpected Places and Friends of Bittern Station – Stories from the Station
- Kents Bank Station Library – Kents Bank Station Library
- The Community Brain CIC and New Malden Station Adopters – 60 Years of Sound of Music – Singalong
- Gloucestershire & Oxfordshire CRP – Connecting Communities
Tourism & Leisure Award – sponsored by TransPennine Express
- Severnside CRP – Gromit Unleashed 3, Car Free
- Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership – More time in Looe
- Kent CRP, Kent Downs National Landscape and Partners – North Downs Way Trail by Rail
- Clitheroe Line CRP, Forest of Bowland National Landscape & Lancashire CC – EcoEscapes: Tracks to Trails
- Heart of Wales CRP – Make and Trade
- Gloucestershire CRP – Greener Gloucestershire
- Southeast Communities Rail Partnership, Horsham DC & Whistlestop Arts – ‘The Arun Valley Line – Beyond the Rails’ podcasts and films
- Leeds-Morecambe CRP – Grand Days Out on the Bentham Line
- South East Lancashire CRP – Beacons of Bolton
Photo Competition: Capturing the essence of community rail – sponsored by Porterbrook
- Darent Valley CRP – ‘Amazing group collaboration for the Darent Valley Line community!’
- Heart of England CRP and The Life Path Trust – ‘Enthusiasm! Always full to the brim with our Coventry Adopters!’
- Heart of Wales CRP – ‘Let’s get ready to ramble!‘
- Gloucestershire CRP – ‘Funny faces on the train’
- TransWilts CRP – ‘Picture power at Pewsey’
- Cam Valley CRP – ‘How do you like the new banner?’
- Andy Buckley (Beds & Herts CRP) – ‘Wait for my signal…’
- Friends of Altrincham Interchange – ‘Hound Dog Blues on the Altrincham-Chester Music Train’
- Barton Lions – ‘Keeping it in the family!’
- Friends of Brighouse Station – ‘Brighouse Busy Lizzies’
- Catherine Huddleston (Leeds-Morecambe CRP) – ‘High Five!’
- Cromford Station Volunteers – ‘Some Might Say’
Influencing Positive Change & Sustainability – sponsored by Northern
- Glenfinnan Station Museum Trust – Glenfinnan Solar Snowplough Exhibition
- Greening Arundel and the Green Team with multiple partners – A Big Green Welcome to Arundel event
- Gloucestershire CRP – Access to Nature
- Severnside CRP, GWR and Bridgwater Safeguarding Partnership Group – Resilient Futures: Bridgwater Safeguarding Response
- Community Rail Lancashire and Lancashire Archives – The English Queen
- Robin Hood Line CRP & Station Adopters, with EMR and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust – Biodiversity at Hucknall Station
- New Pioneers Project – Men’s Lab
- Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company – Settle Carlisle Refreshment Trolley Service
Most Enhanced Railway Spaces – sponsored by Greater Anglia
- Essex and South Suffolk CRP – Harwich Town Community Garden
- Ambergate Adopters – Ambergate Station and Community Garden
- Tyne Valley CRP – Celebrating Haltwhistle
- Friends of March Railway Station – March station improvements
- Friends of Birkdale – Birkdale Station Masters House community hub & Library
Outstanding Volunteer Contribution – sponsored by CrossCountry
- Marc Wade – Whitwell Station
- Roger Gaitley – Bridlington volunteer
- Peter Lynch – Ambergate Community Garden Coordinator
- Dominic Noades – Kent CRP
- Sandy Burn – Friends of Westerfield
- David Gibson – Witham, Cressing and Braintree Freeport stations
- Derek Beer – Blackmore Vale Line CRP
- Janet Benzie – Friends of Settle Carlisle Line – Ribblehead café
It’s Your Station – sponsored by Merseyrail
Shortlisted by banding:
Bronze
- Blythe Bridge Station Adoption Group
- Matlock Station Adopters
- Habrough & Ulceby Station Adopters
- Friends of Mansfield
- Orrell Park Regeneration Group Partnership
- Friends of Beverley Station
- Hutton Cranswick in Bloom
- Open Orchard Project – West Norwood Station
Silver
- Great Coates In Bloom
- Belper Station Adopters
- Ambergate Station Adopters
- Edale Station Friends
- Keynsham In Bloom
- Stone Station Adopters
- Hoylake & Meols in Bloom Station Partnership
- Birkdale Civic Society & Birkdale Station
- Bebington Merseyrail in Bloom
- Spital Station Volunteers
- Fazakerley Wombles
- Meols Station In Bloom Partnership
- Friends of St. Michaels Station
- Ainsdale Station – Merseyrail in Bloom Partnership
- Friends of Cark Station
- Friends of Hale Station
- Church and Oswaldtwistle Station
- Cottingham Station
- Appleby Station Volunteers
- Friends of Cononley Station
- Friends of Chapel Station
- Friends of Ore Station
Gold
- Market Rasen Station Adoption Group
- Friends of Gordon Hill Station
- Lowestoft Central Project
- Hockley Station Adopters
- Friends of Kents Bank Station & Foreshore
- Grow Feral – Weston Super Mare
- Maghull Station Volunteers
- Coöperatie Stationspark Deurne
- Bridlington Station Adopters
- Greening Arundel, the Green Team & multiple partners
- Otford Station Volunteers
Platinum
- Friends of Glossop Station
- Friends of Goostrey Station
- Friends of Hindley Station
- Friends of Buxton Station
Railway 200 Legacy Award – sponsored by TrainPal
Shortlisted by group size:
Large groups
- Kent CRP – History, Heritage and Creative Celebration on the Isle of Sheppey
- Community Rail Lancashire and Girl Guiding North East England – The Railway Challenge Badge
- Essex and South Suffolk CRP – 200 Years of Train Travel Since 1825
- Southeast Communities Rail Partnership – 200 blue plaques
- Community Rail Lancashire – 200 Stories of Railway Pride
- Gloucestershire CRP – Beyond the Platform
- Gare Du Nord Theatre & Avanti West Coast – Railway 200 : The Show
Medium groups
- Yorkshire Coast CRP – Old Parcels Offices Artspace – Railway 200 Heritage Exhibition
- Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership – Fantastic Facts from Devon & Cornwall’s railways
- Bishop Line CRP & Citizen Songwriters – Storylines
- Yorkshire Coast CRP – Celebration of the longest station seat
- White Cliffs CRP, Southeastern, Southern Electric Group – Dover Priory 164th Birthday and Community Rail Day
- Tyne Valley CRP – A Song for Edmondson
- Mid-Cheshire CRP – Mid-Cheshire CRP, Railway 200 Celebrations
- Blackmore Vale Line CRP – Postcards From First Class Destinations
Small groups
- Micheldever station adopters – Commemorating 185 years of the London to Southampton Line
- Friends of Bentham Station – Double Celebration – Bentham Station 175 and Railway 200
- Friends of Buxton Station – Legacy includes past, present and future: FoBS celebrated each part!
- Friends Of Bishopstone Station CIC – The Five Thirty- Seven – Driver Pattenden
- Friends of Altrincham Interchange – Railway 200 at Altrincham Interchange
- Friends of Goostrey Station – Goostrey Village Celebrates The Railway Bicentenary
- Friends of New Milton Station – New Milton Railway 200 History Mural
- Motspur Park station adopters – Motspur Park 100
Winners will be announced during the Awards Evening on 19 March 2026. You can find more information and details on how to get tickets to the Awards here.