Wildlife, flora and fauna celebrated by heritage lines

THE importance of providing habitat for wildlife has been recognised by three English heritage lines.

Cambrian Railway

Orchard Project (CROP) which is part of Cambrian Heritage Railways has won the Gold Award for the Best Community Project 2023.

The award was part of the Oswestry In Bloom Festival which, in turn, saw the town named the best British large town in the national In Bloom competition.

Habitat

The one-acre site is located on land between the railway line and Gobowen Road, near Oswestry’s Iron Age Hill Fort. Started in November 2011, CROP aims to establish a traditional orchard, planting half standard fruiting trees including local varieties of apple, pear, plum and cherry. Local craftsmen have also been encouraged to maintain fencing and hedge laying at the site.

Visit https://cambrian railways.com/chr/crop-therailways-orchard for more information.

Partnerships

Meanwhile, Quorn and Woodhouse station has won Gold in the annual

East Midlands in Bloom competition. The station narrowly missed the top spot to the village of Uppingham.

Great Central Railway volunteers worked in partnership with Quorn village. Judges visited the station in July and saw the various displays including the station tubs, hanging baskets, Dig for Victory Garden before heading into the village.

The Kent & East Sussex Railway (KESR) held a Wild About Wildlife Weekend at Tenterden Town station on September 30 and October 1. The event featured displays, wildlife-focused talks, storytelling and engaging activities with the aid of local organisations.

“Our railway is a haven for wildlife. We have been investigating this biodiversity through an ecology survey with support from the Kent Wildlife Trust Consultancy, Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Tenterden Wildlife,” said Robin Coombes, KESR general manager.