News that the Friends of Bishopstone Station has now been awarded the Kings Award for Voluntary Service for life has left everyone… chuffed.
Friends of Bishopstone, headed by the inimitable Barbara Milne, have turned an underused, unloved railway station into a thriving community hub.
They bring together 25 regular volunteers helping a variety of projects the gardening group, to the monthly Community Food Project and the twice a month Man Space for retired men to meet, share or find new interests and hobbies.
The Friends group also hold the Meet Up Monday which attracts dozens of local elderly residence giving them the chance to meet and talk over tea and cake. Helping isolated people make connections and enlarge their social circle.
Michael Olden, Southeast Community Rail Partnership Officer said, “It’s a joy to work with Barbara and her team of dedicated volunteers, they make a real difference to the local community and are brimming with ideas of what to do next. The Kings Award for Voluntary Service is well deserved.”
With these and many more initiatives Friends of Bishopstone continue to make a big difference in their community. Recently winning funding to work with elderly people living in local care homes and engaging people living with dementia. There also plans afoot to open an unused station waiting room for community use with funds from the Community Rail Network.
Southeast Communities Rail Partnership has ten Community Rail lines across East and West Sussex as well as parts of Surrey, Kent and Berkshire. It works with five train operators, Network Rail, local authorities, community representatives and dedicated volunteers at 112 stations on its lines.
