Over the August 2023 Bank Holiday weekend, the Friends of Bishopstone Station hosted a special community event with the aim of celebrating the geographical and social history of Bishopstone Station and the Lewes to Seaford railway line.

Positive connections were built with local authorities, with the District Council Tourist Information Centre handling advance ticket sales for the first time and the Mayor of Newhaven opening the weekend with a heart-warming welcoming speech. Extensive advance publicity to raise awareness of the event included social media, local radio and websites, various electronic newsletters, two local museums and three door-to-door magazines.

Over 120 people attended events across the weekend, including talks from local historians and tours of the station led by volunteers. All events included refreshment and allowed visitors to meet other residents, socialise and learn about the role of the Friends of Bishopstone Station volunteers in restoring the Grade II art deco station into an award-winning community hub.

The £108 the group spent on refreshments, posters and commission on ticket sales returned a net profit of over £500, which will be put towards the restoration of the toilets at the station. Thanks to the event, a number of residents who had never been to the station before came and visited for the first time, and the Friends’ group received more expressions of interest from potential future volunteers, showing the appetite for local people to get involved in a thriving community space with a rich history and an exciting future.

Hampshire CRP worked with a host of different partners including Network Rail, Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, British Transport Police, local businesses and university students to spread the reach of the ‘Winter Warmers’ project. Demonstrating how the community rail movement supports some of the most disadvantaged people within our communities, the CRP provided local residents the opportunity to donate their surplus coats, hats, scarves, and gloves for reuse.

Through three pop-up shops at stations, over 1,000 pieces of pre-loved clothing were redistributed to those in need across the span of the project. No funding or extra money was required to deliver the project, as it relied on community generosity and resources and drew on in-kind support from local partners and media. John Lewis in Reading provided clothes rails, a local church offered up their tables, and Petersfield Winton House acted as a donation point.

The ‘Winter Warmers’ project established the rail network and its stations as places that are warm, welcoming, and inclusive, and exist to serve the whole community. There are now plans in place to host ‘Winter Warmer’ events at the same locations next year, as well as share good practice with other community rail partnerships looking to set up similar projects.