At Downham station in Norfolk, all passengers and pollinators will be able to enjoy a new bee garden.

Great Northern‘s parent company, Govia Thameslink Railway, has teamed up with Groundwork East on the Bee Garden project.

They have planted a range of different plants like lavender, sedum, sage, rosemary, verbena and more that attract the bees and other pollinators.

In the garden, there is a board that explains all the flowers and spices and what the bees and other pollinators bring to the world and the importance of the work they do.

Groundwork East has made a donation of money to the Women’s Institutes (WI), who will help keep the garden healthy.

The Downham station bee garden is one of six bee gardens being planted, the others are at Sandy, Flitwick, Palmers Green and New Southgate in North London, and Newhaven Harbour in East Sussex.

When the GTR consulted community groups and passengers about their priorities for improvements, everyone suggested bee gardens.

At least one-third of the food we eat each day relies on pollination, some is done by insects, bats, birds and even by the wind, but bees can pollinate up to 80% of plants.

Chris Dungate, Groundwork East’s Operations Manager, said: “It’s great for us to be working with GTR on creating a new pollinator-friendly area at Downham Market station. We hope commuters and station staff enjoy the new planting.”

Tom Moran, Managing Director for Great Northern and Thameslink, said: “We’re making stations more attractive for our passengers, and more sustainable assets for their local communities. These bee gardens are a great example of how we’re doing just that. We’re proud to be working with Groundwork East, among hundreds of partners across our network, to support the post-lockdown recovery – building back better and greener.”

Where Next?

RAILADVENT NEWS
The latest railway news
RailAdvent Plus
Railway Discounts, 4k Video, pictures and more!
FREE NEWSLETTERS
Signup to our daily and weekly newsletters
RAILADVENT SHOP
Railway Prints, DVD’s / Blu-Ray’s, books and more
LOCOSTOP COMMUNITY
Come and share your railway pictures
UK STEAM INFO
Upcoming mainline steam tours/loco movements
Great Northern 
Visit their website