Bere Alston station gets spring clean thanks to volunteers

Network Rail and GWR volunteers worked with Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership and students from Plymouth University to give Bere Alston station’s disused platform and old signal box a spring clean.

The team braved spring showers to spruce up the platform area and tidy up the old signal box, which closed in 1970 but had been used as a work space by a railway maintenance team until the 1990s.

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Soon, the local Scouts group will use the platform to plant and grow flowers to make it more welcoming – at the same time building up some gardening skills and learning about biodiversity.

The signal box will be used as a potting shed – and the volunteers also found it a good place to shelter from the rain.

In the past the Community Rail Partnership has carried out renovations of the signal box, painting the exterior and taking old material away. The team of volunteers removed furniture from the signal box and overgrown vegetation from the platform, making sure the site will be safe for the Scout group when they arrive.

Máedóc Ellis, Network Rail customer support manager for community rail, said: “It was great to see representatives from the different organisations work together to make sure the unused areas of Bere Alston station were neatened up and ready for the arrival of the Scout group.

“Supporting community projects means that we can work alongside local residents to improve public spaces, creating a welcoming environment for our passengers.

“I can’t wait to see how the Scouts get on with their gardening projects and hope to continue supporting their endeavours.”

Rebecca Catterall from Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, who helped coordinate the volunteers, said: “It was a great day, albeit a wet one, but everyone pulled together and worked incredibly hard. I am sure users of Bere Alston station will notice a difference.”

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