WESTBURY Railway Station has been spruced up by a group of green-fingered volunteers.
The embankment on the approach to the station, which had been overgrown with weeds for years, has now been cleared and a welcoming display built as a two-year project was completed last week.
The word ‘Westbury’ is now on the bank in large stone letters, and in the spring, flowers will bloom alongside the platform.
Project organiser and Heart of Wessex Line rail partnership officer, Catherine Phillips said, “It looks absolutely fantastic. Two years ago the area was a jungle where everyone threw their rubbish, but now it looks brilliant.
“The crew have been so enthusiastic and hard working, and the Network Rail team have been very supportive. It has been a real community effort and I’m so pleased with how well it has all worked.”
The revamp was completed by the Heart of Wessex Rail Partnership, which includes local volunteers, Network Rail and Great Western Railway.
The main volunteers on the station project were Rosemary Buchan, Rob Brown, Terry Rowsell, Colin Bowditch and Simon Meade King, who built the Westbury sign from scratch.
Yarnbrook councillor Horace Prickett, Wiltshire Council’s portfolio holder for passenger transport, was also a driving force in the scheme.
Westbury station manager Jay Wilcox said, “The change has been miraculous. The area has gone from overgrown vegetation to a proper garden; the customers love it.
“When the flowers come up in spring it’ll look brilliant. The area looks much nicer now and is definitely a better welcome to the station.”
