A new garden, developed by volunteers, has been created at Greater Anglia’s Bures railway station, on the borders of Essex and Suffolk.

The garden’s opening coincides with Community Garden Week. The garden was developed by volunteers from the station’s adopter team, with help from a £680 contribution from Greater Anglia.

The new garden area has a wildlife pond and a bark chip pathway, bluebells have been planted on the station approaches, and the volunteers tidied up a disused area alongside the platform. The station is now a more pleasant environment for rail users, whilst the garden provides a suitable habitat for wildlife and pollinators.

This is not the first garden that the station adopter volunteers at Bures have created, since, for many years, they have worked in their spare time to create attractive and wildlife-friendly areas at the station, with the help of the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership and the Bee Friendly Trust. In 2025, the 1st Bures Scout Group helped the Station Adopters to plant a new flowerbed to mark Railway 200.

Each year, Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund aims to support initiatives that can deliver benefits for the local community and to show rail in a positive light. The fund will consider ideas put forward by organisations along the routes it serves. Ideas can be proposed by a range of bodies, such as community rail partnerships, station adopters, local authorities, parish councils, community groups, or charities.

This scheme is aimed at supporting initiatives which deliver community benefits and enhance rail’s positive role in society. Ideas can be put forward by local organisations or bodies, such as community rail partnerships, station adopters, local authorities or parish councils, community groups, charities, or other stakeholders along the routes that Greater Anglia serves.

Applications for funding from this year’s allocation must be submitted by 23.59 next Sunday, 12th April. Full details on how to apply, including eligibility and the criteria for submitting bids, are available on the Greater Anglia website, and the form required to submit bids, which must be submitted online, is available at www.greateranglia.co.uk/ccif.

In 2023, Bures was one of four Essex railway stations that were accredited as being ‘Wildlife Friendly’.

An increasing number of Greater Anglia stations have areas set aside for gardens and wildlife areas, and well over 60 now have station gardens.

“We were pleased to support this project to enhance Bures station and provide an improved environment for wildlife and visitors alike. Bures is a real community garden with involvement from our dedicated station adopter team and other members of the community. As a result, it is a lovely, welcoming space to wait for trains.”

Scott Dolling, Greater Anglia’s Partnerships Manager