When the council-run library closed in 2013, the group of volunteers that formed the Friends of Birkdale Station recognised the need locally for a similar community space. The disused Station Master’s House attached to Birkdale Station was identified as the perfect place, and alongside Merseyrail, the volunteers began work to bring the building back into community use.

After grants and fundraising were acquired by late 2019, the new library building was opened in mid-2021. The station’s heritage roots are reflected in the renovation design, and the building’s location in the centre of Birkdale Village has established it as a vibrant and welcoming focal point at the heart of the community.

The Friends of Birkdale Station now comprises of over 60 volunteers, and the group are responsible for all aspects of running the library, which contains over 5,000 books. This includes communications and social media, maintaining the three meeting rooms (one of which houses a free-to-use computer suite), and running the full programme of events and workshops, including yoga classes, music tuition, ‘knit and natter’ sessions and children’s story time clubs to name a few.

The volunteers recognise the importance of continuing to develop the community hub. All money raised or received is invested right back into the project, to continue to develop the building and its offer.

Thanks to the Friends of Birkdale Station, what was once a neglected railway building has been transformed into a thriving community hub, and a space which fosters lifelong learning, volunteering opportunities and, above all, community connection.

Recognising Haltwhistle Station’s potential as a major access hub for visitors to Hadrian’s Wall, Tyne Valley CRP has been working hard to enhance the station environment for over eight years. Having originally transformed the Old Booking Hall into an educational room and community event space, in 2020 attention turned to the other neglected buildings, which had been out of use since 1969.

Thanks to the partnership’s hard work, today the station is a vibrant and welcoming space at the heart of the community. The waiting rooms have been transformed into bright and welcoming exhibition spaces, offering points of interest for passengers waiting for their trains, and the monthly makers market held on the forecourt supports local food and craft businesses. The Water Tower now houses a cosy café with indoor and outdoor seating, creating seven part-time jobs in the process. Herbs grown in the station planters are even used in the café’s kitchen. Four affordable office/studio spaces were developed, now occupied by a graphic designer, the town council, a taxi company and a tour guide. The revenue generated through rent is reinvested back into the CRP, helping to fund further projects.

Tyne Valley CRP held several celebratory events throughout 2025, thanking funders, partners, contractors and the local community for their support in transforming the station. One such event was the launch of the national Community Rail Week campaign, where Haltwhistle was highlighted as a prime example of how breathing new life into stations has far-reaching benefits for the whole community.

As part of the CRP’s programme of Railway 200 celebrations, Essex & South Suffolk CRP transformed a disused, run-down car park beside Harwich Town Station into an accessible community garden. The aim of the project was to not only create a more welcoming space, but to reconnect the station with its community, encouraging outdoor activity and social interaction.

With funding from Community Rail Network, Greater Anglia, and Landguard Fort, the site was cleared and redesigned to include wheelchair-accessible planters, seating and arts and heritage displays. Local schools, refugee and migrant groups, and organisations supporting families in poverty were actively involved in designing, planting and maintaining the garden. School gardening groups have returned regularly, using the space as an outdoor classroom, while refugee and migrant families have found a welcoming, purposeful place to connect with others and contribute to the community.

In addition to the garden, the CRP also refurbished the station house façade by reboarding all windows and doors on the platform. Previously covered with mismatched plywood, these areas now feature printed panels showcasing Harwich’s rail history over the past two centuries.

The space at Harwich Town Station now serves as a vibrant, inclusive hub for passengers and local residents. This project exemplifies how disused railway land can be sensitively and creatively repurposed to deliver lasting social value, with the town’s identity and rail heritage at the forefront.