At the 17th national Community Rail Awards held in December, Community Rail Cumbria and the Workington Focus Group were rewarded with awards in the Creative Station Project and Station Arts categories.

The groups have worked in partnership with Northern Trains to transform Workington station.

A project titled ‘The Rails Which Circled the World’ aimed to highlight the historical importance of rail-making to the town of Workington.

The town’s Moss Bay steelworks once produced vast quantities of steel rails that were shipped all over the world.

They also wanted to create an outdoor art exhibition that would celebrate the town’s heritage and its rich social history. Other elements of the transformed station that the groups were involved in included returning the station to its original railway colours, reinstating black and white signage, replacing heritage benches, and displaying artefacts on the platforms.

A launch event was held in May 2021 at which 17 seven-foot-high panels were unveiled.

Warren Birch, Community Rail Partnership Officer for the Cumbrian Coast Line, said:

“We are delighted to receive this prestigious award. We would like to thank Laurence Hilland, who wrote the original project plan, as well as Northern, Direct Rail Services, Cumbria County Council, Workington Transport Heritage Trust, Community Rail Network, Cumbria Railways Association, and the Helena Thompson Museum.

“This project would not have been possible without drawing on the rich history of Workington. We are pleased to be able to showcase all the industries that made Workington a world industrial leader and show younger generations the fantastic industrial history of the area.”

David Wallace from Community Rail Cumbria said:

“It was really pleasing to be shortlisted for and win this award, it really puts our town on the map.

“It encompassed everything that we wanted to achieve by showing off both the railway heritage and the town’s rich industrial past.

“It could not have been achieved without the support of Jane Murray and Martin Keating from Northern plus the dedication from my right-hand man on the Station Adoption group, Cameron Bragg.”

Chris Jackson, Northern’s Regional Director commented:

“Our community partners are the heartbeat of the railway and we’re extremely proud to work closely with them to deliver such wide-ranging positive impacts for the north of England.

“Workington station looks fantastic and the wall panels provide an artistic and educational insight into the town’s rich history.

“Community Rail Cumbria and Workington Focus Group have excelled themselves and I want to thank them for their extremely proactive, creative and engaging project. I am delighted that their efforts and achievements have been recognised.

“Well done and thank you to all the volunteers for their positive contribution we look forward to continuing to work with you in 2022.”

Groups across Northern’s network either won or were placed in a total of 14 categories, with winners representing stations across Cumbria, Derbyshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire.

The diversity of the awards illustrated how groups supported their communities through the pandemic. They showed how there is a greater awareness of climate change and sustainable travel options, whilst education and awareness of a range of societal issues including Hate Crime were among other projects recognised.