Station adopters from across the North gathered in Carlisle for the first joint Station Adoption Conference on Wednesday 25 March.
More than 50 volunteers who help care for and champion their local railway stations to improve their appearance, safety and community connection, were invited to attend the event at Cumbria House.
The conference was hosted collaboratively by the three community rail partnerships whose routes meet in Carlisle: Tyne Valley CRP, Community Rail Cumbria and the Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company.
Opening the event, chair of the Cumbrian Coast Line CRP Eddie Pollock, said: “The conference marks a significant milestone in recognising the contribution of station adopters in the North and strengthening collaboration between volunteers, the community rail partnerships and the rail industry.”
With the theme ‘The Future of Station Adoption in a Changing World’, the conference provided an opportunity for volunteers to hear updates from Northern, Network Rail and Community Rail Network.
The day aimed not only to provide updates from across the rail sector, but also to enable volunteer station adopters to share ideas, showcase successful projects and develop new partnerships to enhance their stations.
Joseph Codling, a station adopter from Blaydon, shared how his volunteering experience helped him to achieve a career with Network Rail. Northern Stakeholder Manager for Lancashire and Cumbria, Owain Roberts, outlined Northern’s commitment to community engagement and support for station adoption across the region. Delegates also heard from representatives of Cumbria in Bloom and the British Transport Police
Representing Community Rail Network, training and development coordinator Alex Peel and community rail support and development officer for the North Ian Davis spoke about funding opportunities for community-led projects and pathways into careers within rail.
Ian said: “This event was a brilliant way to bring station adoption groups connected with the three CRPs together. It created positive information and networking opportunities which also highlighted the fantastic work being done in respective communities along the different lines.
“Thank you to everyone who was involved in organising such an important and positive event.”
Learn more about station adoption across the North, including how you can get involved, here.