The green-fingered Friends of Hindley Station have brought new life to the station. During the station’s 175^th anniversary year in 2023, various biodiversity projects have been completed, including welcoming tadpoles to the new amphibian ponds, and expanding the ‘wildlife corridor’ with different species of native hedges and shrubs.

Garden spaces at the station include the Jubilee Garden, made up of Old English planting and a White Memorial Garden installed in memory of Her Late Majesty, with careful planting to ensure the area is welcoming to bees and butterflies. The volunteers group works closely with Thrive, a local community interest company, and provides allotment space for members of Thrive to grow fruit and vegetables to use in their ‘life skills’ cooking sessions.

Expanding their reach beyond the railway and helping to raise the profile of community rail, Friends of Hindley Station have supported the community with a range of other projects including assisting with fundraising to save the cemetery chapel, helping to rescue an abandoned children’s play area, and playing a key role in supporting numerous good causes across the area.

Throughout the station, visitors are reminded of the area’s rich heritage, especially on Platform 2 with Ladies Lane miniature pit and cottages. The arts are also celebrated here with local dialect poetry and children’s artwork located across the station.

Brighouse Station has been transformed into a welcoming gateway thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Friends of Brighouse Station. Environment and sustainability are a top priority for the friends group, having developed a carbon neutral perennial bed and Climate Change Garden, using drought tolerant plants, that captures the interest of passengers using the station. Timber from a recently removed station fence has been recycled to build raised beds, woodchip from overgrown trees has been used for paths in the garden, and tree trunks recently thinned from the woodland area have been made into habitat piles.

While waiting for their train, passengers at Brighouse Station are invited to view 18 information boards, each one featuring different fascinating facts and providing a history of the station, the area’s industrial past and local brass band heritage. In 2023, two large murals created by the students at Calderdale College were installed, highlighting local buildings, green spaces and reflecting the environment of Brighouse.

Since adopting Whyteleafe Station in October 2022, Whyteleafe Community Hub has worked tirelessly to transform and rejuvenate the area. The group has the community at its heart, coordinating a befriending service for the lonely, hosting a gardening group, a free community café and holding events for all the family. The station is home to a vital community foodbank, donating essential items to over 2,000 local people in the last year alone. The group have brightened the station, and made a welcome home to bees and insects, with the installation of planters on the platforms featuring lollipop olive trees and colourful border and trailing plants.

Longton Station Adopters prove that hard work and dedication can achieve great things, as they strive to make their station a safe and welcoming place for all. Watering the many plants and flower displays is a challenge, but the group continue to give their time and have found innovative solutions, including planting with pelargoniums to reduce the need for frequent watering. Longton is a deprived area and antisocial behaviour occurs regularly. However, the passionate station adopters have risen to the challenge and provide support beyond the station boundaries, including planting, pruning and litter picking in the community.

The Longton Station Adopters have been vital in the development and installation of a series of bottle kiln structures at the station. These structures link in with the heritage of the town and provide a place of interest to passengers.