The Friends of Handforth Station are celebrating their 25th year of activity. The group has a long history of working at the station, supporting a Platform for Art and successfully campaigning for Access for All.

They are now planning a Public Art Workshop, to engage the local community and discuss designs for future artwork at the station.

Paul Pickford, the FoHS resident artist, said “We are creating a vision for the station to serve our future generations, and we want to make sure influence from the local community is maximised. We’re looking for local people to join us and help to create a vision for the future at Handforth Station.”

The Public Art Workshop will be held using Zoom, on Tuesday the 5^th of October between 7.30pm and 8.30pm.

Members of the public (whether they are users of the station or not) are invited to join the workshop and then stay online afterwards for some informal chat.

Paul added, “To ask for an invitation, just e-mail handforthstation@gmail.com any time before 5pm on the 5th”.

Between 1 and 4pm on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd October, artist Debbie Goldsmith will host a Visual Arts Open Studio on platform 1 at Goostrey Station. Debbie is inviting us to visit the new studio where she will have work in progress as well as a display of paintings, drawing and prints. This is an excellent opportunity for everyone to see inside the restored building and to find out about the plans for community art workshops. Admission is free. Further details of this and other events during Goosfest 2021 are on their website goosfest.com.

Toilets and hand washing facilities are still needed in the station building and these are essential if our community is to be involved with the new Goostrey Station Studio. Members of Friends of Goostrey Station are supporting the negotiations between the tenants, Network Rail and Northern in order to engage plumbers, electricians, builders and septic tank specialists.

But to ensure success with this project FOGS needs more volunteers as soon as possible. At the moment we only have a small number of active volunteers; a few hours each month from more people would make a huge difference!

There are many jobs, both large and small, for anyone interested helping with a worthwhile local community project.  We need a rota of people to water the plants in the platform tubs. Currently we’re applying for listing from Historic England for the wooden Victorian building. And in November we’ll need volunteers to plant a donation of 30 small saplings from the Woodland Trust.

Recently FOGS used a grant from Community Rail and some of our own funds to buy a leaf blower, a strimmer and a safety visor. These tools will make it easier for us to keep the area around the station tidy.  In autumn, the amount of leaves falling from trees has been issue and the blower will reduce the amount of sweeping required. The strimmer will be used to clear paths to the triangular bug hotels and the bird boxes on the large grassy bank. It will also help to keep the vegetation under the roadside hedge under control.

Merchant Navy Day is an official country-wide public day of remembrance, to recognise the sacrifices made by merchant seafarers in two world wars and since.

On the 3rd of September each year, community organisations are encouraged to fly the Red Ensign (the UK Merchant Navy’s official flag) to mark their observance of this remembrance. This year, 3^rd September falls on Friday.

The Friends of Handforth Station (FoHS) have flown the Red Ensign on 3^rd September for many years. In this year, their 25^th anniversary year, the FoHS are keen to continue this tradition, and they have now raised the flag.

Hugh Everett, the Secretary of the FoHS, said “Although we are a long way from the sea, we recognise that the whole country should be very grateful for the courage and sacrifices made by civilian seafarers in the Merchant Navy during conflict and other times of danger.

“We are lucky, at Handforth station, to have flagpoles on which to display flags, and we are proud to be able to fly the Red Ensign this week to commemorate their dedication and bravery.”

Hugh added: “There was no wind at all when we raised the Red Ensign, but we hope that autumn breezes will start soon and show the flag in its full glory.”

FoHS plan to fly the flag alongside the FoHS Union Jack at Handforth train station for a few days before and after the 3rd of September 2021.

The latest improvement at Goostrey railway station is the installation of two display cabinets….

Nature Sign Design placed them in the waiting area on the Manchester to Crewe platform because this is where artwork created by pupils at Goostrey Community Primary School is exhibited. The cabinets are sealed and lockable so they will protect the exhibitions from vandalism and from adverse weather conditions.  Chair of FOGS, Dave Roberts was enthusiastic and said ‘They look really impressive’.

Funding for the purchase and installation of the cabinets has come from Sibelco, Community Rail and Northern Rail.  Currently Sibelco is excavating high quality sand in Goostrey. The company is always keen to play a positive role in the community and they provided a significant proportion of the cost. Community Rail regularly provides money for volunteer groups who are improving their local stations. Our Community Rail officer said that ‘the long standing relationship between FOGS and the local Primary School is outstanding’ and it has been ‘the basis of several awards, both regionally and nationally’.  Through their donation, Northern Rail is continuing their support for Goostrey station.  FOGS members plan to have small plaques near the cabinets which will acknowledge the generosity of all three donors.

For the last nine years there have been a series of displays of artwork at Goostrey station.  Soon after FOGS was formed in 2012, Cyril Caulkin suggested the project to deputy headteacher Becky Cowell and she has always been the driving force behind the exhibitions. FOGS members are delighted that the displays encourage residents, particularly parents, to visit the station.  And everyone celebrated when the creativity helped the primary school to achieve Artsmark Gold.

Themes for the displays have ranged from Going Places to the Queen’s 90th birthday.  In 2014, our annual Arts festival Goosfest included the display called Rainbows in an Art Trail.  Two years later, Jodrell Bank telescope featured in Star Gazing.  A nativity play called Holly from the Bongs by local author Alan Garner was celebrated in another exhibition. In 2017, when pupils and teachers from Elizabethfontein school in South Africa visited Goostrey, children from different backgrounds worked together to decorate a float for the Rose Day procession; and afterwards the creations were displayed at the station. One of the best displays in 2018 was inspired by Edward Lear’s poem The owl and the pussy cat. A few months later, a more serious creation called Remembrance commemorated the centenary of the end of World War 1.

Comments from passengers include :

–   Lovely to read whilst waiting for the train
–   Top marks for display and presentation
–   I wish our school did this
–   Really enjoyed the positive messages and the beautiful pictures! Well done students and staff!
–   Just what the community needs during such trying times. This cheered me up