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Community Rail News – photos of the fortnight

August 19, 2026

19 August 2026

The Friends of Bicester North Station are going Mediterranean! In response to the extreme heatwaves Britain has been experiencing this year, the volunteer group made a decision in early July to stop watering the plants at their station, acutely aware of the need to keep water for other vital purposes such as farming. The group have since undertaken an audit of their flower beds, and going forward plan to plant a wider variety of plants that will thrive in a Mediterranean climate, requiring less attention from a watering can yet still providing a vibrant display of colour and home for pollinators and other insects, hopefully all year round.

The Friends would appreciate any further information or best practice that can be shared from other station adoption groups about how they too are dealing with the shortage of water and plan to adapt their gardening practices as a consequence. Get in touch here.

Two stations along the Hounslow to Richmond Line have celebrated their 180th birthdays in style. The celebrations began at Mortlake Station, where Southeast Communities Rail Partnership and South Western Railway welcomed guests to the opening of the art gallery by Thomson House School, got everyone involved in a sing-a-long with the Good Morning Community Choir, and created a special moment for ticket office team leader Daniel Opoku, who celebrated 25 years of service to the community.

The group then made the journey over to Richmond Station, where they were welcomed by singing group The Decibelles for more birthday celebrations and the opening of the community gallery. The exhibition features art by Cyril Edward Power, the pioneering artist whose dynamic and iconic linocuts defined the Machine Age and the Roaring Twenties, depicting modern urban life, and the British at work and at play. The exhibition is free and on view until late 2027.

Tim Barkley, chair of Southeast Communities Rail Partnership, said: “The aim of the gallery is to celebrate Richmond’s identity by connecting passengers with local history, culture, people and creativity through a curated and evolving visual programme. We are so proud that these amazing images are in keeping with this precious art deo station.”

Mike Power, grandson of the artist, said: “Cyril always wanted his art to be accessible and affordable to everyone. This installation showcases his work on a grand scale and he would have been thrilled that passengers, commuters and tourists are viewing it.”

As part of Heart of England CRP‘s Wild Rails biodiversity project, the partnership worked with Year 5 Aardvark Olton Primary School students, West Midlands Railway and Olton Station Adopters to create and install bird boxes at Olton Station. Alongside partners Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, the students examined current biodiversity levels already at the station, to consider how they might improve this with a future project.

A cyanotype nature inspired art workshop also saw the creation of prints to brighten up the passenger waiting room at Olton Station. Invented in 1842 and credited as being one of the earliest forms of basic photography, a cyanotype (above right) is created when an object is placed on special light-sensitive paper and exposed to the sun. Where the object is laid over the paper, a shadow is created. The print is then developed in water, revealing the image created by the shadow of the subject.

Barton Cleethorpes CRP staff and volunteers have been working hard to refresh the community garden at New Holland Station. During a productive morning, the team spruced up a memorial bench, five raised planters and a picnic bench that had been badly vandalised.

Dawn Branton, CRP officer, said: “It was a lovely morning working together to spruce up the community garden at New Holland Station. It is always rewarding to see the difference a few hours of hard work can make.

“Projects like this are about more than maintaining a physical space – they also bring people together, encourage community pride and help make the area more welcoming for everyone.

“We are incredibly grateful to all our volunteers for their dedication, energy and enthusiasm – they are a great example of the positive impact community rail has on local spaces and communities.”

On Monday 10 August, Yorkshire Coast CRP facilitated a special day out by rail to Bridlington for a group of neurodivergent children and their parents supported by the Aim Higher charity in Hull. With support from Northern and TransPennine Express, the CRP was there for the families every step of the way, demonstrating how to navigate stations and trains with ease, building confidence for future safe and independent travel. Once at their destination, the children loved building sandcastles and splashing in the sea.

One family said: “Thank you for making this such an enjoyable day. We normally avoid using public transport, but by coming on this trip and getting support it has made all the difference.”

East Suffolk Lines CRP supported a special summer day out by rail on Wednesday 12 August for the CRP’s annual crabbing train. The adventure began in Ipswich, where each member of the 35-person strong group received a crab bucket and plastic-free crab line – which, if you hang on to, will grant you a discount on the rail ticket for next year’s event! After the short train journey to Woodbridge, the group took a stroll along the river to the Deben Yacht Club, where they enjoyed two hours of crabbing. There was plenty of excitement, a few competitive moments, and, of course, lots of peering into buckets to see what everyone had managed to catch.

5 August 2026

As part of our Travelling with Confidence programme, grant-funded by the Motability Foundation, Heart of England CRP has produced a video giving an insight into the co-created learning activities the partnership has been delivering alongside participants from the Life Path Trust. These trips support adults with learning disabilities to plan trips by public transport safely, confidently and independently, aiming to break down the barriers faced by disabled people to rail travel.

The CRP is excited to receive a second round of funding through the programme, which will begin with a new day opportunities partner, iLEAP, in September 2026.

The volunteers comprising New Malden Residents’ Association have celebrated a special figure at their adopted station. On 5 July, Dewan Sehmi celebrated 50 years working on the railway, having begun his career as a porter at Hampton Court and working at various station across London, most recently in the ticket office at New Malden. The teams from New Malden Residents’ Association and Malden & Coombe Heritage Society recognised the day by presenting Dewan with a small gift and commemorative cards, and we were delighted to be joined by Dewan’s daughter, Sejal.

Sejal said: “I have seen my dad’s passion to give the best service to his customers by providing detailed information and guidance on their journey. His positive energy and friendly nature is so heart-warming to see, and the love and support he received from his longstanding customers after his heart attack was a real reflection of the impact he had in the local community.”

The Friends of Hartlepool Station were delighted to award a local Scouts group with their Platforms for Change badges at the end of June. MP for Hartlepool Jonathan Brash presented the young people with their awards, praising the work they had undertaken to improve the station environment and welcome passengers from all over the country through various gardening projects. The volunteers have developed an ongoing partnership with the Scouts group, engaging the youngsters with community rail activities at their station. Scouts group leaders also presented Colin Griffiths, chair, and Michael Anderson, secretary, with a special plaque, thanking them for providing their young people with the opportunity to be involved with the Friends’ vision for the station.

The Friends of Goostrey Station recently hosted a stall at Goostrey Rose Day, joined by a local student who has been volunteering alongside the team as part of his Duke of Edinburgh award. Together the group displayed photos and information about their latest projects, spoke with visitors and the community about the array of community rail activity that takes place at the station, and conducted a questionnaire to gather information on people’s travel behaviour and opinions of the station, as well as potential future improvements.

As part of Hymers College’s annual Year 12 community action day, Yorkshire Coast CRP supported 18 students to engage in community rail activity at Cottingham Station. The students worked with station adopters Working for Health CIC, who are based in one of the station buildings. After receiving a safety briefing, the young people set to work on various tasks around the station, including gardening, weeding and fence painting – all perfect preparation for the station’s imminent Yorkshire in Bloom competition judging.

Educational visits & community events coordinator at Hymers College, Emily Powell, said: “We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Working for Health for hosting us at Cottingham Station, and to the Yorkshire Coast CRP for organising this project with us. This is our fourth year of collaborating on station projects for our Hymers College community day, and we remain incredibly proud of this enduring partnership and its positive impact.”

Yorkshire Coast CRP officer, Rachel Osborne, said: “We love when our station adopters partner with local schools and colleges. The students now feel a real sense of pride in this station and that’s what community rail is all about.”