A new handcrafted perching bench and bug hotel have been installed at March railway station as part of ongoing work by dedicated station adoption volunteers to create a more welcoming environment for passengers, while also enhancing habitats for local wildlife.
The latest additions to the station’s flourishing wildlife area have been made possible through a partnership between the Hereward Community Rail Partnership, station adopters and FACET (a charity providing training and day care for adults with learning disabilities in the Fenland area), where students created the bespoke bug hotel and perching bench as part of their woodworking and life-skills programme.
Constructed entirely from upcycled materials, the bug hotel now provides a valuable habitat for insects among the station’s colourful wildlife garden, while the new perching bench offers passengers and visitors a place to stop, relax and enjoy the surroundings.
The bench is accompanied by signage encouraging people to take a moment to appreciate the wildlife area.
The project has also helped provide valuable practical experience for FACET students, giving them the opportunity to develop woodworking skills while contributing to a community project with lasting environmental benefits.
The station’s wildlife area continues to play an important role in engaging local people with nature. As part of its environmental activities, a group of Beaver Scouts recently visited the station to learn about railway safety, explore the bug hotel and wildlife habitats, and take part in gardening and planting activities alongside the station adopters.
March adopters work with students from FACET and March Beavers to enhance the wildlife areas at March station
Joanne Rose, Hereward Community Rail Partnership Officer, said:
“Our station adopters have once again shown how much can be achieved when volunteers, local organisations and the community work together. The bug hotel and perching bench are fantastic additions to the wildlife area and showcase the creativity and hard work of the students at FACET. Not only have they created something that passengers can enjoy, but they have also helped provide valuable habitats for wildlife while inspiring young people to connect with nature and their local railway.”
Alan Neville, Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, said:
“Our station adopters make an enormous contribution to the railway by creating attractive, welcoming stations that reflect the communities they serve. Projects like this demonstrate how stations can become places that benefit both people and wildlife, while building strong partnerships with local organisations. We are incredibly grateful to everyone involved for helping to make March station such an inviting and environmentally friendly place.”
Increasingly recognised by ecologists as important “green corridors”, railways provide valuable habitats and movement routes for wildlife across both urban and rural landscapes.
A recent survey of Greater Anglia station adopters recorded more than 200 different species visiting stations across the network, including butterflies, bees, bats, slow worms, foxes, deer, toads, lizards and a wide variety of birds.
To recognise the contribution made by volunteers, Greater Anglia has also partnered with regional Wildlife Trusts to establish the Greater Anglia Wildlife Friendly Stations Accreditation Scheme, celebrating stations that are helping nature to thrive alongside the railway.
March station was accredited in 2022.