For nearly 30 years, the Yorkshire Coast Community Rail Partnership (CRP) has delivered a vast range of events and initiatives to connect communities with their railways, demonstrating an incredible dedication to promoting the pillars of community rail. 2025 proved to be nothing short of an exemplar year for the CRP.

On Brew Monday there is always a presence at Bridlington Station, offering refreshments and a friendly chat to establish the station as a warm, welcoming space for the community. Easter and Christmas see special event trains, providing sustainable and accessible days out by rail for families, and the partnership has worked with the Traxplorer app to make train travel between Hull and Scarborough more fun, informative and interactive.

Through ‘try the train’ trips during Rail Safety Week, the CRP has supported young people to safely and confidently navigate railways and stations, and the Platforms for Change initiative has provided the opportunity for Scout groups to engage with community rail activities at Yorkshire Coast CRP stations.

The partnership has shown real passion in supporting its growing network of station adopters, many of whom have achieved great success at awards such as Yorkshire in Bloom. The ‘Barrow Boys’ sculpture at Bridlington Station and accompanying book brought the community together through shared local history, preserving an important piece of railway heritage for future generations.

The partnership’s biggest highlight of 2025 proved to make railway history. Thanks to Yorkshire Coast CRP’s creativity, 239 people took a seat on the longest station bench in the world at Scarborough’s Station, lining up shoulder-to-shoulder to celebrate 200 years of Britain’s railways. The event received fantastic media interest, including coverage on the BBC and even a television station in the USA.

Yorkshire Coast CRP has truly demonstrated an outstanding contribution to community rail this year. Whether it’s raising awareness of Community Rail Week on social media or supporting young people on their first ever train trip, Yorkshire Coast CRP puts their heart and soul into every activity, continuing to meet the needs of the wider community and deliver far-reaching benefits on behalf of the community rail movement.

Over the last four years, the Farnborough Street Residents Association (FSRA) has worked with hundreds of people from the local community, businesses and voluntary sector to create an inspiring space in the stationmaster’s garden.

Reg’s Garden, as it’s known, is fully wheelchair accessible and features abundant native planting, seating, a community food garden and even bee hives, with the volunteers selling the honey to raise funds for the garden. The volunteers have installed litter bins, a community noticeboard and a defibrillator, and they have worked with local students to create safety messaging for display on the platform – encouraging more young people to be involved at the station and feel empowered to travel sustainably. As Farnborough North is an unstaffed station with no waiting room, many passengers, including students from the nearby college, choose to wait for their train in the stunning space that is Reg’s Garden.

In 2024, the team of volunteers set their sights even higher, turning the adjoining station master’s house into a community hub. As with the garden, this was a true community effort, designed with and for people in the community. The house was transformed into a Warm Café, where everyone is welcome for tea, cake and company. Around 15 people attend regularly, and many have gone on to join the FSRA volunteers. Other local groups also use the station house, including U3a, Southeast Communities Rail Partnership, Scout groups and even the local samba band! Led walks from the station enable people to explore the area and meet new people, and maps and information about a wide range of visitor destinations and support services are on display.

The FRSA team have undoubtedly created positive and sustainable change in Farnborough North. Through strong engagement and collaboration, the garden and station house have become an integral part of the wider community, with hundreds of people benefitting from this sometimes warm, sometimes wild, but always welcoming space. The community are rightly proud of the station house and garden, which can be held up as a flagship example of what station groups passionate about community rail can achieve.