Insects invited to check-in at new ‘bug hotel’ at North Yorkshire station

The hotel is made from old wooden pallets, twigs, leaves, moss and other materials collected by the school pupils and ‘opened its doors’ to its first guests last week.

It was created as part of a workshop led by undergraduates working for the train operator Northern as part of their ‘Year in Industry’.

The workshop, which is part of a series announced in April that is being delivered in partnership with Bentham Community Rail Partnership, was designed to educate schoolchildren on biodiversity and the importance of caring for local habitats.

David Gray, head of energy and environment at Northern, said: “We are committed to making a positive contribution to the environmental sustainability of the areas in which we operate.

“Bug hotels like this one at Gargrave are small but practical interventions we can make to increase biodiversity at our stations.

“We’re grateful to the students at Gargrave Primary School for their help with this first ‘bug hotel’ and we’re confident of five-star reviews from its guests.”

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.