Success for Nantwich and Neston at Cheshire Best Kept Stations Awards

Transport for Wales was delighted to be recognised at the 20th Cheshire Best Kept Stations Awards with success for Nantwich and Neston stations.

Hosted on Thursday 16 March at The Grange Theatre, Northwich, the awards were presented by Mr. Brian Barnsley, Deputy Chief Executive of Community Rail Network, the umbrella organisation for the nationwide Community Rail movement.

The awards saw finalists from across the former county of Cheshire recognised for 18 awards in a variety of different categories, ranging from regional awards to community engagement and best kept stations.

Scooping the Best Kept Garden Award, Nantwich Station’s garden displays were summed up by the judge as “an ongoing horticultural triumph” While Neston Station was highly commended for the overall Cheshire West and Chester Award.

Mark Barker, Chair of Cheshire Best Kept Stations said: “Tonight's Awards Evening is a celebration and a thank you for all the volunteers and community groups who do so much to brighten up our stations in Cheshire. We have seen some truly excellent work from volunteers and staff at stations right across Cheshire.”

The awards are a recognition of the ongoing relationships Transport of Wales has developed with communities across the network, including the Station Adoption scheme which aims to help improve our links with local communities and customers living near unstaffed railway stations.

Melanie Lawton, our Community Rail Manager (North), said: “Congratulations to our station adoption volunteers who give their time to improve our stations and make a huge difference. The stations look welcoming and feel safe, bringing a much-improved gateway to their town and better connecting communities to their railway.

“Here at TfW, crucial work is carried out by individuals who selflessly dedicate their time and efforts to support the services we offer. We’d like to say a big thank you to every single volunteer who has helped create this vision a reality.”

TfW is proud of the success of the Station Adoption scheme since its launch, with more than 330 hard-working station adopters volunteering at 162 adopted railway stations across our network.

The scheme is designed to encourage regular feedback about the facilities available and helps keep our unstaffed stations clean and pleasant with the opportunity to bring together friends of groups to create gardens and help social isolation and loneliness within our communities. This will help us ensure they meet the high standards expected by our customers.