At the annual ScotRail in the Community Awards ceremony held on Thursday, 26 October, at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow, many volunteers from across Scotland were recognised for the time and work they give to their communities.

Volunteers won awards in four categories:

• Adopted Station of the Year;
• Community Rail Partnership Member of the Year;
• Adopter(s) of the Year;
• Community Project of the Year.

A special Outstanding Contribution to Community Rail award was also presented.

Adopted Station of the Year

• Dumfries station won this award for the exceptional work done by the station’s Adoptive Railway Gardeners, who the local community have praised for making the station such a welcoming environment.
• The silver award went to Cardross, which has been adopted by Cardross Community Organic Garden.
• The bronze award went to Fauldhouse, which has been adopted by the Rotary Club of Whitburn.

Community Rail Partnership Member of the Year

• Suzie McCheyne came away with this award for both her commitment to her local community and the Community Rail Partnership. She spends many hours of her free time hours developing and delivering projects, and is one of the founding members of the Rail 74 CRP covering six stations between Rutherglen and Hamilton Central.

Adopter(s) of the Year

• The Rotary Club of Whitburn were recognised for their work in carrying out a total refurbishment of both platforms at Fauldhouse station after the pandemic, including removing weeds and installing new planters filled with plants that provide colour all year round.
• Highly Commended in this category were Dumfries Adoptive Railway Gardeners.

Community Project of the Year

• East Lothian Community Rail Partnership won this award for their work to improve the appearance of Prestonpans station by replacing existing, badly-weathered, artwork with a new mural. Subjects depicted in the mural were chosen for their local significance, and by using local talent and businesses it strengthened links within their local community.

Outstanding Contribution to Community Rail

• This special award was presented to Jane Connolly, who is a volunteer at Cardross Station Community Organic Garden. Jane earned her nomination through her can-do attitude, knowledge, expertise, and commitment to the group, and her encouragement for the group to take on more ambitious projects. She has boundless energy and encourages less-experienced volunteers to participate and increase their gardening knowledge and skills. Over the last year, the station has been rejuvenated, receiving praise from across the local community.
• A Special Commendation for this award went to Ann Roberts.

Earlier this year, ScotRail received its own award for its work on mental health t the Scottish First Aid Awards.

James Ledgerwood, ScotRail Head of Economic & Community Development, said: “The ScotRail in the Community Awards is an important date in our calendar. It’s an opportunity for us to showcase the fantastic work of our volunteers.

“I’d like to congratulate our winners, those highly commended, and all the nominees, but also to thank all our volunteers for their hard work and contribution. Their efforts benefit more than Scotland’s Railway – it extends to the wider local community as well.

“Supporting our local communities and their projects is incredibly important, and these awards allow us to celebrate our volunteers and the work they do to support ScotRail in delivering services that go way beyond the railway.”