New adoption group begins Cumbrian village station transformation

Through Northern’s station adoption scheme, Carlisle Day Services are helping to revamp Dalston station with beautiful blooms, biodiversity habitats, colourful artwork and new seating. 

Northern customers and Dalston residents may have noticed work starting at the village station –with the team already cleaning, clearing, weeding, and preparing the area.  

The group has now started planting lavender, herbs, and other sensory vegetation such as long grasses, and will install a hedgehog home, insect hotels and bird boxes. They also plan to create colourful murals on the platforms. 

Carlisle Day Services is a Cumberland Council service that provides a safe and welcoming environment for people living with mental health conditions. It helps people to maintain their independence for as long as possible and improves quality of life by supporting people to try new hobbies, improve their skills and build new friendships.  

 Craig Harrop, regional director at Northern said: “The station already looks amazing, and I am very excited to see the finished result.  

“Our community partners are the heartbeat of the railway, and we are extremely proud to work closely with them to deliver such a wide-ranging positive impact for the North of England.” 

Northern is currently on the lookout for community custodians to help care for stations across its network.  

The train operator is keen to speak to groups of volunteers interested in adopting stations across the county, including Burnage, Burnley Barracks, Burnley Central, Chassen Road, Cherry Tree, East Didsbury, Flixton, Gatley, Halewood, Heald Green, Hough Green, Humphrey Park, Mossley Hill, Pleasington, Rose Grove, Sankey for Penketh, Styal, Trafford Park, Widnes, West Allerton. 

Hundreds of adopters are already active across the network, working in partnership with Northern to keep stations tidy and well presented.   

To find out more visit northernrailway.co.uk/community or email [email protected]   

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.