Downham Market celebrates National Rail Awards commendation

After receiving a coveted accolade in this year’s ‘railway Oscars’, Great Northern’s Downham Market station staff invited local community representatives to join them in celebration.

Downham Market was highly commended in the Small Station of the Year category at the 2020 National Rail Awards ceremony, held online this year owing to Covid-19 restrictions.

Tom Moran, Managing Director for Thameslink and Great Northern, congratulated Station Manager David Hughes, who welcomed guests including Downham Market Town Council’s Mayor, Cllr Becky Hayes, and Cllr Alan Pickering, who was also representing passengers as a member of the Fen Line Users Association (FLUA).

Also there to celebrate were Sue Sampson and Pat Sones of the local Women’s Institute. The WI leads the volunteers who look after the station’s outstanding plant displays.

Judges visited every station entered for the awards, rating them on how well they are run for passengers, including safety, facilities, customer-friendliness and presentation.

Tom Moran said: “What really makes Downham Market stand out is how it looks and how well it’s cared for. It’s an early Victorian Grade II-listed building that complements the historic town, its heritage celebrated with old pictures in the waiting room. The station is set off beautifully by its plant displays, and we are grateful to the volunteers from the local Women’s Institute who create and tend them.

“We’re making scores of our stations more attractive as part of our multimillion-pound improvement programme, which includes refurbishments, landscaping and artwork, with many local communities contributing. And from this December all our trains on the Fen Line will be doubling their capacity, going from four carriages to eight carriages.”

Cllr Hayes said: “We are proud, as a town, of this achievement. The station has character to it and it always looks beautiful, which is testament to the work of the Women’s Institute.”

The Women’s Institute said: “We have pride in our town and the station is the first glimpse people see of it. We enjoy the camaraderie of looking after the gardens. It’s great fun and it keeps us fit.”

In 2017, with the help of the Railway Heritage Trust, the station was restored and redecorated with new signs and paintwork in the livery of Network SouthEast, the British Rail division launched 30 years before. The restoration also involved close cooperation with West Norfolk Council and FLUA.

Ends

Note to editors

Downham Market was one of only two highly commended small stations in the National Rail Awards, the other being Hindley, near Wigan. Chirk station, near Wrexham, won the top award.