“This is one of the nicest stations I’ve visited.”  FoGS members Craig and Maggie Sidebotham were delighted to be told this by a lady who lives on the Wirral. She even took photos! It’s rewarding to know that our efforts to maintain Goostrey station are appreciated.

At the end of June, professional artist and FoGS member Debbie Goldsmith welcomed Goostrey cubs back to her studio in the restored station building. This time the children were able to earn the ‘Platforms for Change’ badge. Community Rail launched this initiative with the aim of involving scouts in projects led by groups like FoGS.  The cubs constructed and painted wooden boxes which will provide places for birds, bats and invertebrates to shelter and breed. It was clear that many of the colourful designs were influenced by the Euro football competition which was going on at the time!  During the evening, the cubs also enjoyed helping to keep the station tidy by sweeping the steps and parts of the car park. And they learned how Craig uses Geographical Information Systems to record species, including butterflies and nesting birds, around the station.

A few weeks later, helped by Fraser Wilson who is volunteering with FoGS as part of his bronze Duke of Edinburgh award, the boxes were placed on fences and trees around the station. This project was good value for money; while the scout group purchased the boxes and paint, our local Community Rail Partnership paid for the badges.

On a less pleasant note, FoGS recently reported 2 acts of vandalism at Goostrey station.  First, the doors of a display cabinet in a platform shelter were damaged; the centre bar had been bent by a considerable force. A few weeks later, the speaker announcements on both platforms stopped working because the wires had been pulled out of the junction boxes. FoGS have asked Rail Authorities for CCTV but so far it has not been installed.

The Mid Cheshire Line Station Volunteers have triumphed with a Silver Gilt Award in the Long Borders section at RHS Tatton Flower Show.

Mid Cheshire CRP Director and volunteer at Plumley Station, Harry Allen, with his wife Penny is shown with the award.

This is a major achievement for an amateur group who have no previous experience of preparing a garden for show.

The group created their own design, which is themed around a station garden.

It includes a short stretch of track and a porter’s trolley and references to the Music Trains as well.

The group grew the plants themselves and set up the garden in just four busy days.

It looks colourful and amazing, especially considering the heavy rain that hit the night after it was finished.

After the Show closes, all the plants will transfer to Mid Cheshire Line stations.

Well done to the Mid Cheshire Line Volunteers!

‘What a lovely day in our community!’ ‘A brilliant team effort!’

These comments were made by enthusiastic FOGS members who organised two stalls on the field during Rose Day. The team included Craig and Maggie Sidebotham, Debbie Goldsmith, Louise and Tim Willis, Megan Dingle, David Mason and Bill Macdonald.

One of our stalls displayed pictures of our work at Goostrey Station and our most recent award from the Cheshire’s Best Kept Station competition. In addition, children could win a soft toy by guessing the name of the engine (it was Salty) and take away a free book about safety on the railway. Debbie Goldsmith brought her badge making equipment to the other stall. This is one of the activities she uses during workshops at Goostrey Art Studio. As expected, she was kept busy all afternoon!

Rose Day was an opportunity to recruit new helpers and we were successful! But there’s room for more volunteers because there are many jobs to be done – from gardening and helping Debbie with craft workshops in Goostrey Art Studio to ‘behind the scenes’ administration.  We know that without more support from local people, we may not have be able to maintain tubs of flowering plants on the platforms or install extra facilities in the restored wooden building

The Friends of Handforth Station took part in D-Day Commemorations on Saturday 1st June.

The Handforth D-Day Commemoration event was run by NAAFI Break Handforth, and featured stalls (from the FoHS and others), music, dancing and food&drink, at the Community Centre between lunchtime and evening.

Handforth was heavily involved in World War 2.

Quite apart from many men and women directly involved in the services, the RAF established a Maintenance Unit (RAF 61MU) in what were fields at the edge of the village, and the Army built a tank repair depot alongside the River Dean.

Both of those enterprises relied on the railways, and extensive extra tracks, junctions, sidings and more were built in Handforth to cope with them.

These works were dismantled by the mid 1980s, but traces of their presence still exist … if you know where to look.

The display shown by FoHS on 1st June illustrated Handforth Station’s involvement in WWII, as well as publicising the work of the Friends group at the station.

A drawing competition was also run, inviting local children to illustrate “What I Like to See out of the Train Window” – the top two prizes each being a family day rail pass generously provided by Northern Trains.

Mike Bishop, the President of FoHS, said “the FoHS love being involved with the local community in this manner, and were delighted to be able to share some of the history of our station and local railways.”

He thanked the NAAFI Break organisation for giving FoHS the opportunity to be involved.