Boston’s Railway Station adopters have won a selection of awards at The Poacher Line Community Rail Partnership awards.
The Poacher Line community rail partnership supports and works alongside all 19 stations running between Nottingham and Skegness, and held their first Poacher Line awards 2024 alongside a Station Adopters thank-you event at Heckington Windmill recently.
The Boston Station adopters won the category for Best Floral display, against 6 other entries from Bottesford Station and Radcliffe Station, winning an Yew Hand turned clock kindly gifted by a member of the Lincolnshire Wolds Woodturning association and £30 of garden vouchers.
Boston then went on to win runner up in Best Creative Station against 12 other entries from Bottesford Station, Radcliffe Station, Sleaford Station and Wainfleet Station for this they won £10 in garden vouchers.
The awards were spilt into three different categories, Best Creative Station, Best floral display and Best station Photograph.
Gin Fidlin, Poacher Line community Rail partnership officer said: “We have an army of volunteers from over three different counties supporting our wonderful stations along the line, they liaise with schools, local groups and business to help us deliver projects, pieces of art and events to ensure the local community and passengers have a welcoming, aesthetically pleasing and safe place to be when visiting the stations.
“The Poacher Line has over 80 Station adopters who all work tirelessly to give us the best stations and as a thank-you we wanted to give them an afternoon of fun. We provided a buffet, a live band and an awards ceremony to celebrate all their hard efforts all held at the wonderous Heckington Windmill.
“The Poacher Line is supported by EMR, Cross Country Trains and LNER and we work along side Network Rail, LCC and Community Rail network to deliver some fantastic projects and collaborations across our network to bring communities together whilst tryin to breath new life into rural lines ”
Rick Spillane of the Boston Station Adopters said: “In late 2020, a group of us responded to an advert for station adopters as volunteers with the aim to help keep the station tidy and improve the appearance and make the station more inviting.
“There was already a planter at the front of the station looked after by Boston in Bloom so the first job was assisting them in the upkeep of the planter. We requested some planters for the platform side of the station, and was supplied 4 large planters, 2 under platform canopy and 2 outside further down platform 1 which were planted and maintained since.
“Later in 2021, we started work on a large overgrown area further on platform 1, we cut back and removed a vast amount of vegetation. As signal wires run under the area, a specialised firm was used to clear roots etc and we was left with a nice blank canvas. Several ideas were put forward but we decided on a bug hotel in the corner with a train planter running at the front and some wall planters.
“A couple of us constructed a bug hotel using old pallets and scrap wood and the remainder of the group filled with collected materials and named it Bugingham Palace.
“In early 2023, we could start our next stage with delivery of a barrel train planter. We set about preparing it by painting it in EMR colours and stencilling the logo on the side, they were moved into position where the full group were involved in planting and the train was named The Boston Poacher. Over the last year, one of our adopters came up with the idea of Pallet Wall Planters which have been added and make this area a welcome attraction to the station.”
