Huge fund to improve communities around railway stations opens for applicants in Cambs, Herts and Beds

The UK’s largest train operator, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), is looking for community groups and charities who want to make an impact in the communities it serves with the latest round of a huge grant fund which has already awarded £1.26m to a wide range of good causes.

A travelling ‘garden on a bike’ sprucing up dozens of stations across Cambs, Herts and Beds is among projects successfully funded in the past year as part of the Your Station, Your Community fund.

The gardeners have to date travelled 360 miles with their custom cargo bike, carrying gardening materials and plants to instal garden boxes at Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern stations.

And now GTR, which operates these train services, is asking for more charities, community groups and social organisations to apply for its 2026/27 Your Station, Your Community fund.

The fund is in its fourth year having already offered £1.26m worth of support to causes which benefit groups, charities, customers, and the communities across the length and breadth of the country’s largest railway network.

Organisations across Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire are being encouraged to put in their bids for community projects which make a positive impact under the key themes of mental health, employability skills, diversity and inclusion, environmental sustainability and improving station environments.

The grant fund accepts bids up to £50,000 with an additional two Station Partner Support Grants for arts, creative, environmental and horticulture projects.

The organisation behind The Travelling Garden, Cambridge Sustainable Food, has involved local volunteers at all of the stations the bike visited, working with community groups to decorate the gardens and show members how to look after the plants.

Gemma Hose, Senior Project Manager at Cambridge Sustainable Food, said: “We were thrilled to be awarded the GTR Station Partner Support Grant.

“We believe in the power of nature and food to bring communities together and this grant has enabled us to share this message across the rail network and raise awareness around important environmental causes.

“We have been amazed by the dedication and commitment from the station partners we have met on our journey in improving green spaces and biodiversity at their stations. Sharing their stories and passion with the wider community has been a big highlight of the project, as well as facilitating new connections between stations and the communities they serve.

“We hope our Travelling Garden campaign has helped elevate the importance of local environmental issues and inspires more people to take part in local greening projects at their stations and beyond.”

Applications for the 2026/27 fund close at midnight on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. Since the first round of funding opened in 2022 more than 862 bids have been submitted with an average award of £15,558.

Rob Whitehead, GTR's Community Engagement Manager said: “Over the past three years, the Your Station, Your Community fund has supported projects that have created amazing community impact and generated real social value.

“As a train company, we want to directly support and contribute to the wider communities we serve, be it through social work, encouraging new skills, or simply making somewhere a better place to be.

“I’m looking forward to hearing all your proposals to create change in the regions across our network.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Applications close at Midnight on Tuesday, 9 December. Applications are open for bids up to £10,000. Bids between £10,001 and £50,000 must be discussed with GTR prior to an application being submitted.

The two Station Partner Support Grants must cover the whole GTR network.

Initiatives should be in and around stations served by Great Northern, Southern or Thameslink on the GTR network. The communities supported should be served by these stations. Priority will be given to bids for projects around stations managed by these brands.

For more information, and to apply, visit: Your station Your community Improvement Fund