New mural wings its way to Essex railway station

A new mural featuring gigantic butterflies aims to help nature lovers track down local conservation areas.

A joint project between Essex Wildlife Trust and c2c railway company – which runs trains between London and Shoeburyness – has led to the new artwork being unveiled at Thorpe Bay station.

The mural highlights the various nature reserves along the route, many of which are near to railway stations.

It also emphasises the fact that travelling by train to the attractions is by far the greenest way to visit.

The new map at Thorpe Bay aims to attract more visitors to the conservation reserves and seeks to help the public discover more about local habitats as well getting to know more about the work of the Trust.

Some of the conservation areas which are close to stations include Two Tree Island Nature Reserve near Leigh-on-Sea, Gunners Park and Shoebury Ranges Nature Reserve near Shoeburyness and Chafford Gorges Nature Discovery Park near Chafford Hundred.

Essex Wildlife Trust's ‘Butterfly Seekers' campaign runs until the end of September.  With many butterfly populations in decline, members of the public are encouraged to record any sightings of butterflies in order to play a part in bringing many species back from the brink of extinction. Data collected will assist the Trust in understanding which species are found in the county and where they are located.  They can then plan conservation actions to help butterflies thrive and recover. The live Project Page records recent sightings recorded.

To help with identifying the insects, the new station map is partly surrounded by 3D-effect butterflies.

These have all been hand-painted by Dave ‘Gnasher' Nash of Gnasher Murals, featuring some of the many species found locally A QR code will take visitors to Essex Wildlife Trust's website, where they can plan their day out and find out which c2c route will take them to their planned destination.

Zoe Ringwood, Head of Conservation Evidence at Essex Wildlife Trust, said: “The report that 80% of our butterflies in the UK are in decline is a concern to everyone that cares about wildlife. Loss of wildflower meadows, intensive farming and climate change are all contributing to make the UK landscape less suitable for butterflies to feed, breed and move around. Butterflies are important pollinators, essential food for birds and their chicks, and are indicators of the health of our countryside. The good news is actions to restore wild areas for butterflies can have positive impacts and aid their recovery. We hope the public will support us and record their sightings. The data from Butterfly Seekers will provide important information for their conservation.”

Stuart Browning, c2c's Head of Safety and Environment, added: “It is fantastic to see this project come to life at Thorpe Bay station. As well as inspiring customers to plan an environmentally-friendly trip to one of the charity's great sites on our route, this mural will help to highlight this important piece of local research. We're proud to be supporting this great campaign and encourage all of our customers to download the app and help Essex Wildlife Trust with this important project.”

Kim Hall, Chair of the Thorpe Bay Residents' Association, said: “This project has brightened up the waiting room for the local community in a fun and unique way; the butterflies are fantastic – they look like they're popping off the wall! I hope this will encourage local residents to jump on the train and explore the Trust's reserves, using this beautiful map to plan their days out.”