FOWS Activities
Friends of Walkden Station Activities
Here are are some of the things we've been up to recently ...
Gardening
To some some people station Friends groups are synonymous with station gardens, and FOWS have certainly tried to improve the environment on the platform at Walkden by creating gardens in places that used to be derelict eye-sores.
Manchester Platform Flower Beds
Before ...
This small patch of disused land at the west end of Manchester platform was converted to a flower bed by FOWS
in November 2008.
... and After
Before ...
On the north-facing Manchester platform FOWS have planted shade-dwelling plants like hostas, but as the
picture shows we have also been successful with more colourful flowers like pansies and violas despite
the limited amount of sunshine this bed receives.
... and After
Wigan Platform Flower Bed
Before ...
... and After
FOWS have transformed this disused flower bed on the south-facing Wigan platform into a colourful display of sunshine-loving plants by FOWS.
Platform Planters
In May 2008 FOWS installed three large stainless steel planters on the previously barren open area at the east end of the station.
The planters were funded by a grant from Salford City Council's In Bloom fund and built by J. Hughes, a local engineering company.
Before ...
... and After. FOWS "In Bloom" planters have brought life and colour to an empty expanse of platform.
The planters were installed by a bumper turnout of FOWS volunteers one very wet Sunday morning !
A second round of In Bloom funding was used to install these festive conifers in December 2008.
Station Anniversary Party
FOWS and Northern Rail's Station Manager cutting the 120th Birthday Cake - complete with Pacer topping !
Picture reproduced by kind permission of the Salford Advertiser. On 2nd July 2008 FOWS held an Anniversary Party to celebrate 120 years since the station's opening day. With a celebratory cake, goodie bags for commuters, and enthusiastic participation from Northern Rail and British Transport Police, for a couple of hours the station was celebrated like it has never been before !
FOWS and friends celebrate the 120th anniversary of the station's opening. Picture reproduced by kind
permission of the Salford Advertiser.
Meet The Manager
FOWS serve festive treats to passengers arriving at Walkden during the Meet The Manager session.
On an icy evening in December 2008 homeward-bound commuters were greeted by FOWS serving mince pies and mulled wine to the sound of Christmas Carols on the station platform !
The evening had a serious purpose too and we were joined by Natasha Wilding and Bill Robison from Northern Rail who talked with travellers about their views on the station and its problems.
Jet Clean
Members of the JetClean team outside the station entrance.
In March 2009 Friends of Walkden Station teamed up with local deep-cleaning experts Jet Clean UK to give Walkden station’s entrance a much-needed clean.
The simple but elegant brick entrance dates from the opening of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway station in 1888. Although no-one is sure when the station was previously deep-cleaned (if ever !), it was certainly in need of attention to deal with the grime, algae and graffiti that had built up over the years.
Working free of charge for over 5 hours, the Jet Clean team cleaned the brick and stone work around the entrance with high-pressure water jets. The station’s exterior signs were also cleansed of the green algae that had spread across them. Moving inside the hallway, Jet Clean washed the entrance hall floor and the first three steps of the stairway.
Pink sandstone before (right) and after (left) cleaning reveals its true colour.
The difference between the treated and untreated areas was striking, with the original rose-pink colour of the sandstone blocks in the doorway showing their true colour for the first time in decades.
FOWS hope that the station owners and operators (Network Rail and Northern Rail respectively) will be inspired by the voluntary work of JetClean to bring further cleaning improvements to the historic station buildings.