Great Northern and Hitchin Priory Rotary celebrate a blooming good partnership

Members of Hitchin Priory Rotary Club, the Inner Wheel Club and Great Northern railway came together on Tuesday to celebrate the adoption of the station.

The Rotary Club has worked with the station team to become Great Northern's latest station partnership, a process whereby a local group adopts the station to help improve it for the benefit of the community.

The club has put up hanging baskets around the station, as well as two flower planters on the fence around the stairs on platform 1. The planters were jointly funded by Great Northern, as well as the Rotary Club and Inner Wheel Club through their fundraising efforts. Space has been provided at the station to store equipment to tend the plants and members of the group take it in turn to water them. Plaques are being added to help promote the group’s efforts.

Speaking at the launch of the partnership, Pauline Girvan, co-President of the Inner Wheel Club, said: "A long time ago we were travelling abroad and I remember seeing a station completely blooming with flowers and I thought to myself how wonderful it would be for Hitchin to be like that.

“I am really pleased that we have been able to start this at Hitchin station with the Hitchin Priory Rotary Club's efforts, supported by the Inner Wheel Club. The new plants at the station look amazing and I thank everyone for their efforts to turn my idea into a reality."

Angie Palmer, Great Northern's Head of Customer Services, said: "At Great Northern we are committed to putting our stations at the heart of the communities they serve. One of the best ways we can do this is through our station partnership work, where a local community group adopts a station, working with us to brighten the location and help it to further reflect the local area.

"We have around 60 station partnerships across our network and I'm really pleased to have the Hitchin Priory Rotary Club adopting this station, supported by the efforts of the Inner Wheel Club, turning Pauline's original vision into life.

"I think that what has been planted already is marvellous and I thank everyone for their efforts. We very much appreciate the group adopting the station and look forward to working further together in the future."

Peter Hull, from Hitchin Priory Rotary Club, said: "We are pleased to get involved with the station in this way. I love flowers and especially like the planters we've introduced. Working with Marc Edwards, the station manager, we've already done a lot and we have lots more to look forward to. It's a wonderful change to the station and we look forward to continuing this three way partnership."

The group also spoke about the possibility of adding additional hanging basket in the future, as well as fund-raising in different ways on the station and adding Christmas trees during the seasonal period.

Ends

For more information on station partnerships, email andrew.harrowell@gtrailway.com

Notes to editors

For more information email press.office@gtrailway.com or call

Southern and Gatwick Express press office: 0203 750 2030

Thameslink and Great Northern press office: 0203 750 2031

Govia Thameslink Railway

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:

Thameslink – services between Bedford and Brighton, Luton/St Albans and Sutton, Wimbledon and Sevenoaks

Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn

Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)

Gatwick Express – Fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria

GTR is now the largest rail franchise in the UK in terms of passenger numbers, trains, revenue and staff: GTR carries about 326 million passenger journeys per year, employs around 6,500 people and generates annual passenger revenues of approximately £1.3bn.

The GTR investment programme for stations includes funding for more CCTV, toilet refurbishments, new retail facilities, help points and car park improvements – as well as plans for increased motorcycle storage and improved transport integration.

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