Wooden planters have been put into place at stations in Essex as part of a community rail partnership project.

The wonderful idea to create mini herb and wildflower gardens on railway station platforms, has been funded by Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership and the Community Rail Network.

The planters which have been put in place by the Bee Friendly Trust are filled with a collection of different herbs and two large wildflower planters will create a paradise for pollinating insects that are homed at Bures Station.

The other Greater Anglia stations included in the project are Colchester, Great Bentley, Sudbury, Witham, South Woodham Ferrers and Althorne, and it is hoped once the herbs have grown that people will be able to pick some herbs or just enjoy the beautiful scents and colours as they await their train.

The planters will be looked after by Greater Anglia’s volunteer station adopters who look after their local stations.

Other green-fingered wildlife initiatives at railway stations in East Anglia thanks to the work of volunteers who have made over land into well-established wildlife gardens.

The Greater Anglia’s team of station adopters take care of their railway stations to enhance their local communities. So far the volunteers have increased the area of station gardens across the network by 14% during 2020.

Much of the station adopters wonderful work is devoted to creating wildlife-friendly areas.  Some of the station gardens have been created through many years of work and are havens for local wildlife. Railways are now being recognised by ecologists as a ‘green corridor’ which gives a safe environment for many kinds of flora and fauna.

A survey undertaken by Greater Anglia station adopters came back with a large variety of wildlife visiting the stations including a variety of butterflies and bees, slow worms, bats, foxes, deer and more than 200 different species of birds. 

Jayne Sumner of the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership, said: “We’re very grateful to the Bee Friendly Trust, the Community Rail Network and our station adopters for their support of this project. We hope the planters will attract and support bees and other wildlife and also brighten up the platforms for passengers, who are welcome to grab a handful of fresh herbs as they pass through.”

Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, Alan Neville, said: “The herb gardens and wildflower planters are a wonderful addition to these stations and will help to make them more attractive and welcome to passengers and provide a boost for wildlife too. We’re very grateful to everyone involved in helping to make these stations more sustainable and welcoming.”

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