‘Bug hotels’ coming to three railway stations on the Bentham Line to support biodiversity

Undergraduates working for the train operator as part of their ‘Year in Industry’ will lead the sessions with local schools, which are designed to educate schoolchildren on biodiversity and the importance of caring for local habitats.

The workshops, which are being delivered in partnership with Bentham Community Rail Partnership, will take place at schools in Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

The ‘bug hotels’ will be created from old wooden pallets and when complete will contain a variety of repurposed materials including twigs, bamboo canes and corrugated carboard.

Mike Roe, safety and environment director at Northern, said: “We’re committed to making a positive contribution to the environmental sustainability of the areas in which we operate.

“Bug hotels are a small but practical solution to increase biodiversity at our stations and I’m excited to see the end result of the hard work by our ‘Year in Industry’ colleagues and the students at the schools along the Bentham Line.”

Workshops are set to take place before the end of the summer term and stations will be selected based on their proximity to participating schools.

Gerald Townson, chairman of the Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership, said; “As the railway looks to improve station and lineside environments, we are delighted that the 'Year in Industry' students this year have chosen a biodiversity theme for their community project.

“They are keen to work with primary school pupils in Giggleswick, Long Preston and Keighley to raise awareness of the Bentham Line’s ecology and engage the pupils in the creation of insect habitats and pollinator patches at the schools and stations.”

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.