Two schoolchildren are set to nurture a new planter at Hadfield Station to help attract and care for a rare local bumblebee population.

The new installation is linked to the ‘Buzzing Stations’ project organised by the High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership.

The planter will be cared for by Riordan and Finnan (pictured), who took part in a bumblebee safari from the station last summer. After impressing the Friends of Hadfield Station (FoHS) with their passion for conservation, the group’s chair, Joy Hallsworth, asked the boys if they would like to be responsible for a planter, to which they enthusiastically agreed!  

The hexagonal planter was specially designed and made by Glossopdale Furniture Project, a local community-based company, before being painted and installed by FOHS. Over the Easter break, Riordan and Finnan planted a range of plants, including aubretia and lavender, to try to attract bumblebees, including the rare species Bilberry Bumblebee that is native to the High Peak.

Joy Hallsworth said: “Riordan and Finnan, with the support of FoHS, will act as ambassadors for the new planter and provide ongoing care. An interpretation board will be placed behind the planter in the near future. FoHS would like to thank Rebecca Styles, community and sustainability manager at Northern, for her support with this project.”

It is hoped that further bumblebee safaris will take place this Summer from selected stations on the Buxton, Glossop, and Hope Valley Railway lines. For further details, go to www.peakdistrictbytrain.org.