Remarkably, this was their 8th such award since 2015, having fought off strong competition to be named Lead Platinum Station in the ‘It’s Your Station’ category at the 20th national Community Rail Awards.
The Friends, FoBS, were recognised and rewarded for working tirelessly to establish the station as a welcoming, vibrant and accessible community hub, running alongside biodiversity enhancement projects and support work to help Ukrainian settlers to feel part of our community. The group’s range of activities greatly impressed the judging team.
David Carlisle, Chairman of FoBS explained: "We are immensely proud of our station and are flattered that our hard work has been recognised with this Award. We are very grateful to all the generous folk of Buxton who helped to make it happen."
He added: “We have welcomed Ukrainian friends and promoted the plight of local wildlife, like the Bilberry bumblebee, which is under the threat of extinction from the UK. Sadly, we need to continue work on important projects like these.”
More broadly, the Friends group delivers a range of community engagement and social inclusion initiatives, supports volunteering at stations, promotes green travel and tourism by rail, and works with railway and local authority partners.
This year’s Awards recognised a diverse array of projects across Britain and beyond, with 20 winners chosen from 227 inspiring entries, all demonstrating how the community rail movement builds positivity and awareness between local people and their railways.
The event, organised by Community Rail Network, held in Newcastle, honoured the wider railway industries’ celebration of 200 years since the birth of modern railways.
More than 500 guests including senior rail and transport leaders and community rail officers and volunteers were in attendance at the prestigious evening on 13 March. The Awards recognised projects supporting diversity, accessibility and inclusion, sustainable travel and tourism, youth and schools’ engagement, community-led station improvements, empowered communities and influencing positive change.
The Awards recognise the crucial, often unsung work of community rail partnerships, station friends and other community rail groups, which continue to grow in number and impact. There are now over 1,300 station groups spread across Britain.