Press release -
Rail firm creates 100 ‘Homes for Nature’ at stations across vast network
- 100 more to be added by end of year to celebrate 200th anniversary of birth of modern railway
One hundred ‘Homes for Nature’ have been created at railway stations across the vast Southern, Thameslink and Great Northern network to increase biodiversity and protect the one in six species now under threat of extinction in the UK.
Southern’s parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and the Bee Friendly Trust last week put the finishing touches to 24 individual habitats at six stations: Glynde, Plumpton and Berwick in East Sussex, Horley in Surrey and Coulsdon South and Purley in Greater London.
Each site has two types of bird boxes, iconic striped bee hotels for solitary insects, and hibernacula – shelters filled with timber and wood to give small animals and bugs a place to live.
GTR and the Bee Friendly Trust will now increase the number of homes to 200 to celebrate Railway 200 – the 200thanniversary of the birth of the modern railway.
GTR’s environment specialist Eloise Rowan said: “We are committed to creating a railway for nature by enhancing biodiversity and encouraging nature recovery. Our Homes for Nature initiative is just one way we plan to support a thriving natural environment.
“Nature is in crisis in the UK with the latest State of Nature report detailing that since 1970 UK species have declined around 19% on average and nearly one in six species are now threatened with extinction.
“Our work with the Bee Friendly Trust aims to make our sites a little more friendly for local wildlife, big and small, and help to lessen that threat.”
Dr Luke Dixon, Director at the Bee Friendly Trust, said: “This unique collaboration between the Bee Friendly Trust and Govia Thameslink Railway has now provided 100 Homes for Nature across the network and we are on course to increase this to 200 in celebration of Railway 200.
“The birdboxes, bug hotels and hibernacula will provide homes for hundreds of creatures and improve the habitats around these stations. They will be of benefit not just to the creatures but to the rail users whose environments will be enriched.”
ENDS
The 26 stations with Homes for Nature are:
- Bedfordshire: Harlington, Flitwick and Luton
- Cambridgeshire: Shepreth
- East Sussex: Glynde, Plumpton and Berwick
- Hertfordshire: Radlett, St Albans, Bayford, Cuffley and Potters Bar
- London: London Blackfriars, Kentish Town, Gordon Hill, Enfield Chase, Earlswood, Purley, Grange Park, Hadley Wood, Coulsdon South, Denmark Hill, Crofton Park, New Barnet and New Southgate
- Surrey: Horley
The 19 stations with additional wildlife habitats:
In 2021, even before the Homes for Nature initiative had begun, GTR and station and community partners had planted pollinator-friendly plants including lavender, sage, echinacea, verbena and sedums, attractive to bees and other insects at the following 19 additional stations:
- Norfolk: Downham Market
- Bedfordshire: Harlington, Flitwick, Sandy
- Hertfordshire: Elstree & Borehamwood, Royston, Welwyn North
- North London: Alexandra Palace, Bowes Park, Gordon Hill, Mill Hill Broadway, New Barnet, New Southgate, Palmers Green
- South London; Bellingham, Loughborough Junction, Ravensbourne, Wimbledon Chase
- East Sussex: Newhaven Harbour
About the Bee Friendly Trust
The Bee Friendly Trust has a mission to create habitats for honey bees and all pollinators to thrive.
About Railway 200
The Stockton & Darlington Railway opened on September 27, 1825, connecting places, people, communities and ideas and ultimately transforming the world.
Railway 200 will be a year-long nationwide partnership-led campaign to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway and inspire a new generation of young pioneering talent to choose a career in rail. It invites community, rail and other groups to get involved.
Starting in January 2025, a wide variety of activities and events are being planned to celebrate rail’s remarkable past, its role today, and its importance to a sustainable future.
Born in Britain, rail quickly spread across the globe. Railway 200 will showcase how the railway shaped and continues to shape national life.
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For more information, contact the press office on 0203 750 2031.
Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) operates Thameslink, Great Northern, Southern and Gatwick Express services as follows:
- Thameslink – cross-London services between Bedford/Peterborough/Cambridge and Brighton/Horsham/East Grinstead, and between Luton/St Albans and Sutton/Wimbledon/Rainham; plus services between London and Sevenoaks
- Great Northern – services between London and Welwyn, Hertford, Peterborough, Cambridge and King’s Lynn
- Southern – services between London and the Sussex coast (Brighton, Worthing, Eastbourne, Bognor Regis, Hastings) and parts of Surrey, Kent and Hampshire (Ashford International, Southampton, Portsmouth)
- Gatwick Express – fast, non-stop direct services between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria
www.southernrailway.com, www.thameslinkrailway.com, www.gatwickexpress.com, www.greatnorthernrail.com
