Great news! Goostrey Station has scooped another prize! On Friday 1st April, two members of FOGS attended a ceremony in Northwich to collect the Sustainability Award in the Cheshire Best Kept Station competition 2021. Mark Barker, chair of the team who organises the annual competition, congratulated FOGS. He said that Goostrey's win was well deserved. Now the totem is mounted with six previous awards on the wall of the road bridge next to platform one.

The award recognises how we’ve carried out improvements in a sustainable manner. We looked at environmental, social and economic factors and considered how future generations could benefit. The activities include increasing biodiversity, promoting greener travel and enabling a business opportunity.

Local young people built bug houses and FOGS members installed bat and bird boxes. Each month Craig Sidebotham, vice chair of FOGS, records the species and habitats around the station using a Geographical Information System which has software to create maps of biodiversity. These are uploaded to the wildlife section of our website. Last September, Craig took the opportunity to inspire others by explaining his innovative use of technology as part of a webinar organised by Community Rail.

Promoting walking, cycling and travel by train are important when considering sustainability. FOGS successfully applied to the Eco Fund of DPD for a grant towards purchasing and installing a covered cycle rack which could be used by commuters and school children. Regular displays in a platform shelter by children at Goostrey Community Primary School are enjoyed by passengers and encourage residents to visit the station. The latest exhibition features art inspired by Australia. In addition, each platform has a Goostrey Connections banner featuring computer generated images by Eamonn Murphy of places along the Crewe-Manchester line.

By campaigning for the restoration of the Victorian station building, we have preserved part of our industrial heritage. Now Goostrey Art Studio is based there and artist Debbie Goldsmith is providing opportunities for people of all ages to learn and socialise. Debbie has a vision : ‘I hope to build an exciting creative space where I can have a working studio and also hold workshops, exhibitions and educational activities.’

Cheshire Best Kept Stations 2021 - Another win for FoGS!