Hive of activity at Worcestershire Parkway Station thanks to GWR grant

The Bee Friendly Trust will use the funding to create several bee-friendly projects which will enhance the wildlife spaces already existing outside of the station and ensure the station itself contributes to this diverse environment.

As part of GWR’s franchise agreement with the Department for Transport, the train operator has a Community Cohesion Fund 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.”

Planters made from railway sleepers will be installed and filled with pollinator-friendly plants such as lavender, rosemary, salvia, and verbena.

Wildlife areas will be created around the station, transforming these blank spaces into bee and other pollinator friendly wildflower meadows, while areas of land around stairwells will be turned into micro-wildlife sanctuaries with plants, bug hotels and areas for invertebrates.

The waiting area will be transformed with a commissioned wraparound mural including an ‘I-Spy’ element, with pollinators hidden within for customers to look at, while the atrium will be decorated with a bee-themed artwork.

Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership community rail officer Peter Chapman said:

“Worcestershire Community Rail Partnership is delighted to be contributing to the work that GWR has initiated with the Bee Friendly Trust at Worcestershire Parkway. Not only will the bees benefit but the local community will have further reason to be proud of their wonderful new station.”

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 both the inside and outside of the station and should prove really popular with customers.”

To find out more about the Bee Friendly Trust please visit beefriendlytrust.org

Notes to editors

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.