Scottish Stations Benefit from £20,000 of Funding to Keep Scotland Beautiful

More than £20,000 of funding has been awarded to five Scottish volunteer groups to help them improve green spaces at five ScotRail stations across the country. The funding which was announced yesterday 22 March, will help communities improve outside areas at the stations and ensure that they are a local focal point,helping to deliver a clean and green environment.

The funding, received by groups to fund works at Aberdour, Dalry, Ladybank, Perth and Pollokshields East stations will help to support volunteer efforts to care for the gardens and grounds at the stations and improve local environmental quality.

The funding was provided as part of the ScotRail Adopt-a-Station programme which is supported by environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful. The funding allows local adopt-a-station volunteers to help maintain a good environment for people using and working in local stations – enhancing the appearance of the stations through activities such as planting, gardening and encouraging biodiversity.

The announcement was made as part of a national event for all ScotRail Adopt-a-Station volunteer groups held in Glasgow. At the event Keep Scotland Beautiful, working in partnership with ScotRail, provided all attendees with a biodiversity toolkit – to encourage wildlife to flourish in and around Scotland’s stations.

John Yellowlees, ScotRail Community Liaison Manager, said: “We are extremely proud of all the hard work that our staff and local communities put in every day to make our stations not only beautiful for those boarding or leaving a train, but 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. We hope that this latest round of funding goes a long way in helping our Adopt-a-Station volunteers improve their own local environments.”

Carole Noble, Operations Director 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. We hope that the networking event in Glasgow today will provide volunteers with information and support, which together with 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 cleaner, greener and more sustainable.”

The ScotRail adopt-a-station programme is a great way for people to volunteer to help maintain a good environment for people using and working in and around ScotRail stations. 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