Forty ‘Homes for Nature’ have been created at 12 more Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink railway stations across the southeast to increase biodiversity and protect the one in six species now under threat of extinction in the UK.
The stations are: Royston and Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire; Luton Airport Parkway and Bedford, Bedfordshire; Carshalton Beeches and Lingfield, Surrey; Kenley, Norbury and Ravensbourne, London; Crowborough, East Grinstead and Hurst Green, Sussex.
It takes to 172 the total number of individual habitats now created by parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and the Bee Friendly Trust. By the end of March that figure will be boosted to 200 in celebration of Railway 200 – the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway (see notes to editor).
Each site has two types of bird boxes, iconic striped bee hotels for solitary insects, and hibernacula – shelters filled with timber and wood to give small animals and bugs a place to live.
A hibernaculum of timber and wood gives small animals and bugs a place to live beneath the station sign at Bedford
Thanks to the work of Bee Friendly Trust and, separately, various station and community partners, there are now Homes for Nature at 38 stations. Natural habitats were also installed before the programme began at 19 more (see editor’s notes below for full list). This is across a network that carries one in five of all UK passengers and connects communities as far apart as Sussex and Norfolk.
GTR’s environment specialist Eloise Rowan said: “We are committed to shaping a railway that doesn’t just pass through the landscape but actively restores and supports it, creating spaces where nature can flourish once again. Through our Homes for Nature initiative, we’re helping to spark a vibrant revival of wildlife, nurturing the ecosystems that sustain us all.
“Our partnership with the Bee Friendly Trust is transforming our sites into welcoming havens for wildlife of every size, helping to restore lost habitats, strengthen fragile species, and inspire a future where nature can thrive once more.”
Dr Luke Dixon, Director at the Bee Friendly Trust, said: “This collaboration between the Bee Friendly Trust and Govia Thameslink Railway is unique but we hope will provide ideas for other railway companies and indeed everyone wanting to support our wildlife. We’re now almost at our target of providing 200 Homes for Nature across the network in celebration of Railway 200.
“The birdboxes, bug hotels and hibernacula will provide homes for hundreds of creatures and improve the habitats around these stations. They will be of benefit not just to the creatures but to the rail users whose environments will be enriched.”
ENDS
The 38 stations with Homes for Nature are:
- Bedfordshire: Bedford, Harlington, Flitwick, Luton and Luton Airport Parkway
- Cambridgeshire: Shepreth
- East Sussex: Glynde, Plumpton and Berwick
- Hertfordshire: Bayford, Cuffley, Potters Bar, Radlett, Royston, St Albans and Watton-at-Stone,
- London: London Blackfriars, Kentish Town, Gordon Hill, Enfield Chase, Earlswood, Purley, Grange Park, Hadley Wood, Coulsdon South, Denmark Hill, Crofton Park, New Barnet and New Southgate
- Surrey: Horley
The 19 stations with additional wildlife habitats:
In 2021, even before the Homes for Nature initiative had begun, GTR and station and community partners had planted pollinator-friendly plants including lavender, sage, echinacea, verbena and sedums, attractive to bees and other insects at the following 19 additional stations:
- Norfolk: Downham Market
- Bedfordshire: Harlington, Flitwick, Sandy
- Hertfordshire: Elstree & Borehamwood, Royston, Welwyn North
- North London: Alexandra Palace, Bowes Park, Gordon Hill, Mill Hill Broadway, New Barnet, New Southgate, Palmers Green
- South London; Bellingham, Loughborough Junction, Ravensbourne, Wimbledon Chase
- East Sussex: Newhaven Harbour
About the Bee Friendly Trust
The Bee Friendly Trust has a mission to create habitats for honey bees and all pollinators to thrive.
www.beefriendlytrust.org
About Railway 200
The Stockton & Darlington Railway opened on September 27, 1825, connecting places, people, communities and ideas and ultimately transforming the world.
Railway 200 has been a year-long nationwide partnership-led campaign to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway and inspire a new generation of young pioneering talent to choose a career in rail. It has invited community, rail and other groups to get involved.
A wide variety of activities and events have been celebrating rail’s remarkable past, its role today, and its importance to a sustainable future.
Born in Britain, rail quickly spread across the globe. Railway 200 showcases how the railway shaped and continues to shape national life.
www.railway200.co.uk
