A disused area of Battlesbridge Station has been transformed into a new wildlife area thanks to a community rail project.
The work was facilitated by the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership (CRP) and volunteer station adopters, Chris Honeyman and Nathan Dodd, following a £5,000 grant from Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund and in-kind support from building contractor, Hollywell, worth £5,000.
Free equipment and labour were also supplied by CFM Utilities and Groundworks to help clear the site.
As a result, a new garden area has been constructed using railway sleepers, tidying up a long-disused area alongside the platform. The project has created a more pleasant environment for rail users and additional opportunities for wildlife and pollinators.
Battlesbridge Station is already a haven for wildlife thanks to the work of Chris and Nathan.
Since becoming volunteers under Greater Anglia’s Station Adoption initiative, the father and son team have extended the station’s garden area, installed a water butt, and created a wildflower meadow area at the station on the Crouch Valley Line between Wickford and Southminster, working with Greater Anglia and the Essex & South Suffolk CRP.
They also care for the mature trees around the station, which are an important habitat for solitary bees. As a result, last year they were named ‘Bees Needs Champions’ by DEFRA.
Andrew Wolckenhaar, Essex & South Suffolk CRP officer, said: “It’s great to see this project come to fruition, and I would like to thank everyone for their hard work. Battlesbridge Station has a character all of its own and is a haven for an incredible amount of wildlife. Following the recent installation of bat boxes and new tree planting, one is as likely to see bats and birds, as much as butterflies and bees, depending on the time of day.
“Battlesbridge Station is also conveniently located near the various antique shops and tearooms that the area is well known for, making a trip by train the start of a fun and interesting day out.”
Scott Dolling, Greater Anglia’s partnerships manager, said: “We were pleased to support the enabling work of this initiative earlier in the year, highlighting the great work being done to support pollinators and other wildlife, thanks to the amazing work of the CRPs and station adopter volunteers across our network.
“We are always looking to enhance the role of the railway in support of the community it serves, and our new Customer and Community Improvement Fund is a way of supporting further locally focused enhancements in line with community needs.”
Keep up to date with future news, projects and events from Essex & South Suffolk CRP via their website.
