Northern staff praised for outstanding work at two stations during 'Railway Oscars'

Stewart Hall and Darin Astbury were highly commended in the Outstanding Personal Contribution (Frontline) category at the National Rail Awards for their work at Brinnington station.

The staff who run Workington station in Cumbria were then highly commended in the Small Station of the Year category, during the awards ceremony in London on Thursday.

Stewart and Darin received recognition for setting up and running a swap shop at the station in Stockport, which had previously been an anti-social behaviour hotspot.  

It provides an important service to people in the local community who are in need of food, clothes, books and other household items.

The innovative scheme has proved incredibly popular, with more than 1,600 members of the local community joining the Facebook group and small team of volunteers helping to co-ordinate donations.

They have even helped people who have moved into the local area with no possessions furnish their new homes.

At the awards ceremony, Workington station was commended by judges who visited 145 stations across the country and identified the best for the small, medium, large and major categories.

They were assessed on accessibility, information provision, ticketing infrastructure, customer service and overall presentation.

Consideration was also given to the station’s links with its local community.

At Workington, this includes the hosting of the ‘Rails Which Circled The World’ exhibition, which highlighted the historical importance of the railway to the town’s coal mines, ironworks, steelworks and docks.

Tricia Williams, Northern's managing director, said: “We’re incredibly proud of the staff who received recognition for their passion and commitment at last night’s awards ceremony.

 “Since setting up the swap shop two years ago, Stewart and Darin have helped so many people in their local community and we have seen a steady reduction in anti-social behaviour at the station.

“In Workington, manager Jane Murray and her team have done an excellent job of maintaining this historic station in recent years and providing outstanding customer service.”

The National Rail Awards celebrate the achievements and pursuit of excellence across every aspect of the rail industry and are known as the ‘Railway Oscars’.

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.