Stations buzzing after ScotRail awards biodiversity grants

Last updated: Wednesday, 21 December 2016

Stations across Scotland are in line for a horticultural makeover thanks to cash grants from a ScotRail Alliance fund designed to support and encourage biodiversity projects at Scotland's stations.

A total of 14 stations will benefit from grants of between £100 and £5,000, which will be used to enhance the appearance of stations and create examples of biodiversity impact and community investment. The money will be spent on a variety of projects, including planting a wild flower meadow in Dumfries station gardens and developing bee ‘hotels’ which encourage pollination at East Kilbride station.

The funding was provided as part of the ScotRail Biodiversity Fund which is supported by environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful. The fund aims to back projects which encourage volunteers to increase biodiversity in stations and improve Scotland’s ecosystems.

Elaine Bell, head of Corporate Social Responsibility for the ScotRail Alliance, said: “We are proud of the hard work put in by our staff and local communities every day. Their efforts make our stations more beautiful for those using our services, and provide an environmentally friendly and visually appealing hub for use by local communities.

“We would like to thank Keep Scotland Beautiful for its ongoing support in helping us to continually improve the environment at our stations. This latest round of funding will go a long way in helping our Adopt-a-Station volunteers improve their own local environments.”

Ingrid Roughead, community projects officer with Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We are delighted to support ScotRail and the Adopt-a-Station volunteers in improving the local environment in and around their communities, and want to congratulate the volunteers across the country on their success.

“We hope that this new funding will help them on their way to meeting their environmental aspirations.

“We look forward to continuing our work with ScotRail to help make Scotland greener and more sustainable.”

Volunteers can help by taking part in gardening and other activities so that everyone can enjoy the gardens at stations.

Further information on how to volunteer can be found at: www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/volunteering.

Notes

The ScotRail and Keep Scotland Beautiful biodiversity fund is in its second year. More information about the fund is available at: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/about-scotrail/volunteering/biodiversity-fund.

The successful stations were Aberdour, Burntisland, Dalry, Dumfries, Dunlop, East Kilbride, Gorebridge, Inverurie, Kelvindale, Kirknewton, Montrose, Perth, Stow and Uddingston.