Hive of activity at railway stations thanks to GWR grant
Stations across the Great Western Railway network will be transformed into thriving habitats for honeybees thanks to a £35,000 project.
The train operator has provided funding for the Bee Friendly Trust to create bee-friendly floral spaces at Newbury Racecourse, Thatcham, Midgham and Penzance stations.
Planters, wildlife areas and murals will promote and support wildlife at the stations and help to create a pollinator corridor for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
As part of GWR’s franchise agreement with the Department for Transport, the train operator has a Communities and Education Programme to assist small community charities, enterprises and station adopters.
The Bee Friendly Trust’s co-founder Dr Luke Dixon said:
“This project will help the local bee population flourish, while also educating the travelling public about the importance of pollinators and helping to improve the local environment.
“Honeybees can fly up to three miles from the hive when out foraging for pollen and nectar, but in areas that are densely populated or over-farmed they sometimes struggle to find enough food.”
The planters will be maintained by the Bee Friendly Trust for the first year before becoming the responsibility of the station teams.
A wildflower area with bug hotels, educational boards and a sculpture will be created at Newbury Racecourse Station, a mural will be installed alongside planters at Penzance, and both Thatcham and Midgham stations will get new planters.
GWR Community Manager Emma Morris said:
“The Bee Friendly Trust carries out vital work to help our local bee populations to flourish. This funding will help to transform these stations and should prove really popular with customers.
“We’ve already seen the benefits of our work with the Bee Friendly Trust with some fantastic artwork and new planters introduced at Worcestershire Parkway.”
To find out more about the Bee Friendly Trust please visit beefriendlytrust.org
Contact Information
John Carter
Media and Communications Manager
Great Western Railway
0845 410 4444
Notes to editors
Picture: Worcestershire Parkway has already benefitted from work with the Bee Friendly Trust
First Greater Western Limited, trading as “Great Western Railway” (GWR), operates trains across the Great Western franchise area, which includes South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, across southern England and into London. GWR provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services, and before the covid-19 pandemic helped over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year. GWR was recently awarded an extension to its direct award franchise (called DA3), which shall run up to 31 March 2023, with an option to extend for a further year.
Find out more here: https://www.gwr.com/about-us
The Bee Friendly Trust began with two urban beekeepers putting some bee friendly planters on Putney station in West London. The aim was to increase forage for urban bees. That was in 2016. Nearby stations asked for planters. Network Rail and Transport for London got involved. The two beekeepers were joined by others. And now the charity has a dedicated team of specialists and volunteers.