Later this summer gardens at railway stations in Suffolk will form part of St Elizabeth Hospice’s Great Garden Trail.

The money raised from touring the gardens will go to the hospice, who look after 4,000 patients and their families who are suffering from life-limiting illnesses who need palliative care.

The event which also happened last summer, is a joint partnership between St Elizabeth Hospice, Greater Anglia and the East Suffolk Lines Community Rail Partnership.

Together, they have once more put on floral displays at stations that make up the Great Garden Rail trail. This event is the latest in a list of things to do in the county of Suffolk.

“We are delighted to be hosting our Great Garden Trail for the tenth year and once again we are thankful for the support of Greater Anglia and East Suffolk Lines Community Rail Partnership.

Kelly Nekrews, Community Fundraiser at St Elizabeth Hospice,

The Tour

Commencing on Tuesday 9th July, the tour will start at 10:00 at Ipswich station.

A special train will be laid on to take the passengers on a tour, while pointing out the gardens at a number of stations along the line between Ipswich and Lowestoft.

The stop at Beccles will include a talk from members of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust, along with the chance to meet volunteers who adopt station spaces and look after the displays of flowers.

From Lowestoft, passengers can explore the rest of the line back to Ipswich at their leisure by hopping on and off trains at different stations.

The tickets are valid for travel on any of the Greater Anglia services between all the stations along the East Suffolk Line heading towards Ipswich.

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By using guides, travellers can visit and explore the delights of other gardens taking part in the trail that are off the premises of the railway at towns and villages.

Passengers can explore the beach and garden displays in the parks at Lowestoft, or visit Westerfield station where the gardens recently featured on BBC 2’s Gardeners World. Passengers can also stop off at station gardens that were passed on the outward morning journey.

Tickets are £17.50 per adult and £5 per child, a donation of £7.50 from the ticket price will go to St Elizabeth Hospice. All tickets include the special train from Ipswich to Lowestoft and are valid to hop on and hop off at stations using any Greater Anglia services heading back towards Ipswich. Tickets can be booked here on their website.

“We are really proud to be supporting St Elizabeth’s Hospice with this very special Great Garden Rail Trail fundraiser event. Our Station Adoption initiative, which has just celebrated its 20th year, has led to the development of some amazing station gardens along the rail lines in East Anglia, including the East Suffolk Line, helping stations to look more welcoming and supporting local biodiversity, which we are very proud of.”

Alan Neville, Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager