Cooksbridge Station Partnership has been announced as the winner of the Best Campaign Award at the annual Railfuture Rail User Group (RUG) Awards. The partnership received the accolade for their hard work delivering a decade-long campaign to restore a full 7-day train service to Cooksbridge.

The RUG Awards, returning from a two-year break due to Covid-19, are hosted by Railfuture, the UK’s leading independent organisation campaigning for better rail services for passengers and freight. The awards aim to recognise and reward achievements across the country’s circa 300 Rail User Groups, and others, affiliated to Railfuture.

The partnership were praised for their resilience and the collaborative approach over the years to achieve a successful outcome.

Robert Baughan, from Cooksbridge Station Partnership said: “The campaign to restore a full train service at Cooksbridge took many years and Cooksbridge Station Partnership are very grateful to all those who assisted the team to achieve the successful outcome for their community. Thanks go to the Strategic Planning Team at GTR (Southern), with whom they worked closely throughout, Southeast Communities Rail Partnership and to Hamsey Parish Council for their unwavering support towards achieving this key objective of their Neighbourhood Plan. 

The priority going forward is to continually enhance the travelling environment at Cooksbridge Station, whilst ensuring the retention of a full and comprehensive train service that fully meets the needs of the community, for this and future generations.”