The Friends of Hadfield Station (FoHS) and Friends of Glossop Station (FoGS) have jointly hosted their annual Bumblebee Safari from Hadfield Station.

Part of the Buzzing Stations project coordinated by the High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership (CRP), the safari’s main aim is to raise awareness of the environmental value of station gardens and planters for bumblebees. With 97% of wild meadows lost in recent years, small, connected areas offer bumblebees the chance to continue pollinating flowers, which is vital for food production.

On Friday 15 August, the group of 30 were welcomed to the station by Joy Hallsworth of FoHS and Neil Williams of FoGS. The volunteers led a tour of the platform planters and garden at Hadfield Station, emphasising the plants that are there specifically to attract bumblebees.

As the safari continued to nearby Bankswood Park – where an extensive area is managed by High Peak Borough Council for the benefit of wildlife with no cutting of the grass – the group had their first sightings of bumblebees on plants such as rosebay willow herb, clover and thistles.

Halfway round the tour, the group paused to share twenty prepared facts about bumblebees and their lives. This led to some useful discussion and some smiles when the children tried to flap their arms to match the speed of bees!

The group then made their way back to the station, where they could catch their connecting trains home – and, of course, look for bumblebees enroute. 

Before the group departed, the volunteers had some special gifts to give the attendees. The children were given knitted models of the Bilberry Bumblebee (kindly made and donated by Glossop resident Sheila Webster), and the adults received copies of High Peak & Hope Valley CRP’s ‘Make a Beeline for the Peak District by Train’ booklet. This resource is designed to promote sustainable travel and increase connection with nature by highlighting 10 family-friendly walking routes from railway stations in the Peak District, where it’s likely bees and other pollinators can be spotted.

Joy Hallsworth and Neil Williams said of the event: “We would like to thank Becky Styles, community and sustainability manager at Northern, for her support of this event, and of course thank you to the families who came along on this summer afternoon and participated.

“We hope that everyone learned more about bumblebees and how many station gardens are supporting wildlife in the wider environment.”

Learn more about Northern’s work in the community here and keep up to date with news, projects and events from station adopters across the Northern network via Facebook.