Award for the station flower beds

May 2009                                                                                                                                                                              A NANTWICH IN BLOOM PAGE

Kim Hawkins and Cllr Edith Williams unveil the plaque

NANTWICH in Bloom Committee are no strangers to awards for their efforts, and now they have contributed to one for the look of Nantwich Railway Station gardens.

   The design work of the flower beds was carried out by Cllr John Lewis of the Transport Working Group of the former Nantwich Now Market Town Project.

   The award was received in a ceremony at the Salt Museum, Northwich, in January, attended by Cllr Lewis; the then Chairman of Nantwich Town Council, Cllr Keith Cafferty; and Mrs Connie Jones, Deputy Chairman of Nantwich in Bloom Committee.

   But the plaque, now in pride of place at the station, was officially unveiled by the first Town Mayor of Nantwich, Cllr Edith Williams, and Kim Hawkins, Group Station Master (North) of Arriva Trains, in a ceremony on platform 1 on May 26.

   The award was for the Best Kept Gardens 2008 in the Cheshire Best Kept Station competition. The lead sponsors of that were Cheshire's Year of Gardens '08 who were supported by "Visit Chester and Cheshire" of Cheshire and Warrington Tourist Board. 

ALDERMAN Doug Butterill, Chairman of the Nantwich in Bloom Committee (left), said: “The raised beds designed by Cllr John Lewis have made a tremendous difference to the station. The Transport Working Group raised the funds, Nantwich Town Council have been a great help – and Nantwich in Bloom have done all the work!

   “It’s a real pleasure to get this award because until recently, the station was a real black spot. We were ashamed for judges to see it. We used to take them over the station platform and point out the hanging baskets on the church instead.”  

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KIM Hawkins - pictured above with the Nantwich Town Mayor - said adoptees (the groups who take on the work at stations) were important to Arriva in bringing the life back into some of its stations.

   “We are very reliant on groups such as Nantwich in Bloom to look after, and bring back, the unmanned stations.

   “Doing projects like this has shown that people do care and look after the station themselves – and, by doing it, are trying to educate younger people that they are looked after and maintained and we want to ensure that when they come and visit our stations they leave them the way they find them.

   “This (work) encourages people to do that.

   “I am very appreciative of adoptees who take care of stations, because it is very hard work. We couldn’t

possibly do the work without you. I thank you and I congratulate you on your award.”

   Together with the Town Mayor, Kim then unveiled the plaque marking the award.

CLLR John Lewis (pictured above right with a feasibility report on the adjacent car park area), said: “Nantwich in Bloom have done a tremendous amount of work in planting up the beds and the other work was done

under the auspices of Nantwich Now Market Town Project.

   "The next phase is to do the other side of the station wall - to get Network Rail to combine with the Town Council in developing the car park facility.

   “A large feasibility report has been done with the backing of the old Cheshire County Council. This provides a whole range of options of rearrangement so that it can become a proper car park to support the station and be a main rail gateway to the town.”

   [The lady to the rear of the picture of Cllr Lewis is Mrs Connie Jones, Deputy Chairman of Nantwich in Bloom Committee.]  

lThe next phase of the planting at the station is the hanging baskets.   The baskets in 2008. 

lThere was talk at one time of photographic panels on the walls of the former station buildings - now the Natraj Restaurant - but there aren't any there yet. 

One of the flower beds that helped to win the award