Big thanks to the community volunteers who helped this morning clearing the bedding on the platforms at Haslemere station. We’ve more to do and will send a call-out after half term.
Here’s a before and after picture from today:
Station Platform Bedding Before
Station Platform Bedding After
And, a picture of the community volunteers. Thanks!
Haslemere Community Volunteers
ACoRP – the Association of Community Rail Partnerships – is the membership body for almost 50 community rail partnerships, representing over 80 community rail lines across the UK, as well as more than 1,000 station adoption groups.
The Haslemere Community Rail Partnership was established in October 2015 with the purpose of promoting Haslemere and its surrounding countryside, to promote rail travel to the town as a more sustainable travel mode and to improve the station and forecourt environment. You can read more about it here in this town council document and here in a past update on this blog.
In Haslemere today, I spent a few hours weeding and tidying the flower beds on the platform. There is more work to be done!
If you are free for an hour or two on Thursday morning from 9am, please do come along with gardening gloves for some gentle weeding. I’ll bring a flask of tea for us to share.
Surrey County Council is proposing to install 3 bus shelters (see image below this paragraph) along the back of the bus layover bay on Lower Street next to Haslemere train station. The shelters will each have a perch bench for seating and lighting. The Haslemere Community Rail Partnership and the South Downs National Park have agreed to provide town maps and images of the South Downs National Park for the back walls of the shelters. (I wrote about this in my most recent county councillor update here.)
Mock Up of Bus Shelters in Lower Street outside Haslemere Train Station
Together the shelters will provide 12 metres of covered, lit waiting area for those waiting to be picked up or dropped off before catching the train or school buses. The need to provide alternative sheltered, lit pick up zones in order to reduce congestion at peak times in the station forecourt was identified as a priority by the Haslemere Station Travel Plan.
Please would you get in touch with me by 8th February if you have any feedback on these plans. My e-mail address is nikki.barton@surreycc.gov.uk