South Western Railway (SWR) is celebrating a landmark milestone as over 100 of its stations are now adopted by local community volunteers.
Staines Station in Surrey, which was named Medium Station of the Year at the National Rail Awards on Thursday 14 September, has become the 100th station to be adopted, meaning the majority of stations across SWR’s network are now supported by dedicated teams of adopters.
Station adopters are groups of volunteers who work with SWR on making the most out of their station spaces and environments and take a lead on imagining new and creative ways for their stations to better serve their communities and strengthening their place within their local area.
Station adoption groups have been involved in a wide range of worthwhile activities, including:
- Delivering meals to vulnerable people on the Isle of Wight during the pandemic;
- Creating an accessible food growing space at Staines;
- Installing welcoming art displays in the waiting rooms at Kingston and Aldershot;
- Delivering successful enterprises such as a kitchen and meeting space at Tolworth;
- Running free shops at Petersfield and Swaythling, supplying surplus food and seasonal goods to those in need, and cutting down on unnecessary waste.
Peter Williams, SWR’s Customer and Commercial Director, said: “The bond between South Western Railway and the communities we serve is of great importance to us and our fantastic station adopters have been vitally important in cultivating and deepening that relationship.
“Our station adopters are an integral part of the wider railway family, and it has been wonderful to see the many creative ways that they have contributed to local communities across the network as the number of adoption groups has expanded.
“I congratulate volunteers at Staines on becoming our 100th station adoption group, and I look forward to seeing everything that they will achieve.”
Click below to watch a video marking the milestone of 100 station adopters and highlighting some of the station adoption groups on SWR’s network.
More information about station adoption on the SWR network, as well as details regarding how local communities can volunteer to adopt their station, can be found here.
