Kirkstall Forge train station gets facelift by community volunteers

As part of Northern’s community adoption of its stations, Kirkstall Forge Railway Station received a colourful overhaul by volunteers from Kirkstall in Bloom and the team at CEG, the developer behind Kirkstall Forge,

Ramsey Timber kindly donated wood for the new planters and the Skill Mill cohort at Kirkstall Forge set about building them.

CEG partnered with The Skill Mill, a social enterprise which supports young ex-offenders by providing employment and workplace opportunities, in 2016 and has continued to fund the scheme, helping provide training and skills on site as a prelude to apprenticeships and new jobs.

Northern funded the plants and the volunteers set to work planting seasonal blooms to make the arrival at Kirkstall Forge station as attractive as possible.

Lucinda Yeadon, Community Manager at CEG, said: “Myself, local groups and interested residents have formed a Friends of Kirkstall Forge railway station group and are working on an action plan to improve the welcome for the local community, visitors and workers. We had a successful planting weekend and hope everyone reaps the benefits.”

Tony Baxter, Regional Director at Northern said: “The station looks absolutely fantastic, thank you to the volunteers for all their hard work. Our community partners are the heartbeat of the railway and we’re extremely proud to work closely with them to deliver such a wide-ranging positive impact for the north of England.”

Rebecca Nicholson from Kirkstall in Bloom said: “Kirkstall in Bloom has been working in our community since 2012 and we were delighted to get involved with the station adoption scheme and look forward to working with CEG and Northern Rail in the future.”

Andy Peaden Skill Mill director added: “Skill Mill is very pleased to be part of this great project, all the young people got a real sense of achievement from their involvement and in making a visible benefit to the local community.”