Some more owls have appeared at Woodsmoor Station celebrating Superhero Day ….
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New Exhibition Celebrates Nantwich Station’s Historic Footbridge ….
A new photographic exhibition at Nantwich Museum celebrates the design, character and heritage of Nantwich railway station’s Victorian footbridge.
Nantwich Museum is set to host ‘Across the Tracks: The Art of Nantwich Station Footbridge’, a temporary photographic exhibition running from 9th June to 20th June 2026 in the Museum’s Community Gallery.
Click here to read more about the Exhibition
Click here to read more about the Nantwich Museum and when it is open
News from Friends of Goostrey Station ….
Two rabbits, a hedgehog plus numerous snowdrops and daffodils – we’ve seen them all this spring at Goostrey station. During the last working party, we heard a dozen different bird species including goldfinches, blackbirds, robins and wrens.
We also enjoyed the artwork by children from Goostrey School. The current display has pictures and poems inspired by the sight and sound of railway engines as they travel through our village station.
Earlier this year, FoGS members Craig Sidebotham and Christina Burgess were thrilled to attend the 21st Community Rail Awards. The venue was the Arena in Derby, a city that reflects both the proud heritage and the exciting future of Britain’’s railways.
Community Rail oversees about 75 community rail partnerships and 1300 station adopter groups. The chief executive, Jools Townsend, explained that the awards are a national celebration of the exceptional work taking place across England, Scotland and Wales to strengthen the relationship between railways and the communities they serve. Projects this year included building travel confidence, promoting greener journeys, transforming stations and championing diversity. You can find out more details on the Community Rail website communityrail.org.uk/hall-of-fame/2026/
With more than 300 entries to 14 award categories, we were delighted to receive a certificate of excellence for It’s Your Station. FoGS was one of only 4 station adopters to score so many points that they were placed in the platinum group in this category. In addition, we were shortlisted for the Railway 200 legacy award.
FoGS has achieved a lot, but there’s still work to be done. As well as improving planting and working with local young people, we’re trying to install toilet and washing facilities in the restored station building.
Four minute podcast telling the story of Joseph Harrop ….
This year is the bicentenary of modern railways and Friends of Goostrey Station marked the milestone by organising an event on 27th September during Goosfest. But unexpectedly we received a request to record the story of a former rail employee as part of a national project called Great Rail Tales.
In 2024 Lynn Gerber contacted Friends of Goostrey Station because she thought that we might be interested in a photo of her grandfather Joseph Harrop. Lynn provided FoGS with a precious glimpse into the life of someone who worked for half a century on our local railway.
In the picture, Joseph is wearing his porter’s uniform and is seated on a platform bench at Goostrey station. At that time, the station had been open for 20 years. It was a busy place with extensive sidings, a goods yard, a weigh-bridge and a crane. Later Joseph trained a a signalman and was employed at several stations on the Crewe-Manchester line. In WW1 he served as a Royal Marine and in WW2 he was an active member of the Home Guard.
Joseph Harrop’s granddaughter described him as a lovely man who was well respected. He was an active member of the Labour party and, as a keen gardener, he was also secretary of the Allotment Association and the Gooseberry Society. She added that ’it’s a really nice feeling to know that my grandfather’s story is still being remembered’.
Friends of Goostrey Station agreed with Lynn and so we made the recording.
The 4 minute podcast can be heard on Railway 200’s website https://railway200.co.uk/stories/great-rail-tales/
Other recordings include one by the driver of one of the first trains through the recently completed Channel Tunnel and one about the significance of the iconic British Rail logo.
Free Heritage Tours at Handforth Station ….
The Friends of Handforth Station (FoHS) have been running several events this year to help commemorate Railway 200. This effort reaches its peak in September as the group presents its biggest contribution towards Railway 200 so far: free guided tours of the Station.
Handforth Station is well known throughout the area for its heritage, and the FoHS pride themselves on maintaining and preserving this. They have mounted heritage signs which have been designated as “nationally important” by the Science Museum Group. They have created and display video stories about local history. The station is well-known for the large number of “Handforth“ totems (platform signs) procured by the FoHS.
The FoHS have also received and display numerous awards, especially for their “Platform for Art” which includes sculptures, artistic stainless steel screens and welcoming arches over the steps to the platforms. In addition, the station features a ‘Rotary Club Garden’ and planters provided by 1st Handforth Scouts and Handforth District Guides.
Especially for Railway 200, poems are displayed in the community information boards, and there is an ever-changing exhibition in their “Art in a Box” gallery (created from two disused bicycle lockers !).
The tours this September are also a part of the UK-wide ‘Heritage Open Days 2025’ programme, and more can be seen on their website here: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/
Each tour will last up to an hour, and will be led by a member of FoHS, ready to give an entertaining talk about the station and happy to discuss Handforth, its station and railways in general.
Dates and Start Times
Saturday 13 September: 1030 & 1400
Sunday 14 September: 1030 & 1400
Saturday 20 September: 1030 & 1400
Sunday 21 September: 1030 & 1400
Hugh Everett, Secretary of the FoHS, said “We’d love to welcome people to see and hear about what we’re doing for the station. I should advise you, however, that the tour involves going up and down 35 steps, and there are no toilet facilities at the station.”