Forres is a model train station

FORRES Train station is being held up as a model for other stations around Moray to emulate, to help improve the look of the facility.

Forres station is being held up as a model for other stations

Moray MSP Richard Lochhead wants other Moray towns to follow Forres’ lead to improve the ambience of their stations, following in the footsteps of Forres in Bloom who worked with First Scotrail to plant floral displays and get the station painted and looking nice.

Mr Lochhead praised multi award winning Forres in Bloom for their efforts under First Scotrail’s ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme, and is urging other communities such as Elgin and Keith to follow suit.

The scheme aims to improve the environment at stations throughout Scotland. In some cases this means providing unused buildings rent-free for local businesses, but it also includes communities adopting a station by installing planters and maintaining floral arrangements brightening up platforms, car-parks and station buildings.

Forres station has already been adopted by the Forres in Bloom group and other stations along the Inverness-Aberdeen line including Huntly and Inverurie have also been adopted.

Keith & Elgin stations are among those that remain unadopted by communities, and although some efforts have been made to draw up plans for planting schemes by local groups such as Elgin Rotary, they have not yet come to fruition.

“Our railway stations are a major gateway to our communities,” said Mr Lochhead. “They are heavily used by both locals and visitors. Unfortunately the nature of a station can often leave a long and bleak looking platform. At stations like Forres, however, the community has got behind the Adopt-a-Station scheme and really brightened the place up.”

He said at stations where local groups are involved with the scheme you can see a wide range of eye-catching displays and planters arranged along platforms, around station entrances and on the station buildings themselves.

“There are many keen gardeners throughout Moray and many community groups involved in garden projects,” he added. “Adopting a station is an opportuntity to let the world see those gardening skills and that community spirit.”

He said while Keith & Elgin are generally clean and tidy the Adopt a Station scheme could certainly give both of the stations that little bit of a boost to brighten up the day for rail travellers and for the wider community seeing their stations on a daily basis.