The Friends of Handforth Station (FoHS) have again been recognised for their ongoing work to encourage people to travel by train.

The group were presented with the ‘Promoting Rail’ prize, sponsored by CrossCountry, at the 2021 Cheshire Best Kept Station Awards, held in Northwich at the start of April.

It was the latest in a long run of success at the annual event, as FoHS have taken home at least one award every year bar one since the awards began 19 years ago. The sole exception was in 2015, when Handforth Station was closed for a few months of that year.

The award acknowledged several pieces of work that FoHS did in 2021, including creating and displaying videos on their website, working on rail publicity with Handforth Town Council, running Covid-safe quizzes about Handforth Station, and hosting visits to the station for disadvantaged groups.

Jenny Barnes, the chair of FoHS, said: “In 2021, FoHS recognised that attracting people back to train travel, once COVID lockdown’s heavy travel restrictions eased, required a concerted effort from all involved, and we were very pleased to be able to run events that helped achieve this.”

Roger Small, who accepted the award on behalf of FoHS, added: “FoHS are honoured to have been recognised for our efforts, and we will be proud to mount this plaque inside Handforth Station’s ticket office, for all to see.”