100th station adoption celebration at Betws-y-coed

Volunteers from across Wales and the border counties of Englandhave shown their community spirit by 'adopting' over half of theunstaffed railway stations on the Arriva Trains Wales/Trenau ArrivaCymru network.

One hundred of Arriva's 190 unstaffed railway stations have beenadopted by local people and community groups under the company's'Adopt a Station' scheme. The innovative scheme, set up in April2004, aims to involve communities in caring for and taking pride intheir local railway station.

The 100th station to be adopted is Betws-y-coed, on thebeautiful Conwy Valley Line, and is being taken on by MarionBetteney and other members of Betws-y-coed Community Council andColin Cartwright and the Conwy Valley Railway Museum team.

On Friday (28 July 2006) Lord Dafydd Ellis-Thomas, PresidingOfficer, National Assembly for Wales, and AM for the area,presented both adopters with a plaque officially marking theadoption of the station.

Betws-y-coed joins a long list of adopted stations ranging fromRhosneigr, on the Isle of Anglesey, the northern tip of the ArrivaTrains Wales network, to Llantwit Major in South Wales and fromPembroke Dock in West Wales to as far east as Leominster.

Station adopters include teenagers, a sprightly 85 year old, atrain buff, a psychiatrist, a pub landlord, Neighbourhood Watch,families, rail user groups and city commuters.

At Betws-y-coed Station, Marion Betteney of the villageCommunity Council said:

The Community Council is keen to get involved in thescheme to ensure that the station remains a welcoming gateway tothe village. The train station is what helped to make Betws-y-coedfamous so it's an important part of our history andculture.

She continued:

On a personal front I walk my dog over the stationfootbridge at least once a day so I can keep a close eye on thefacilities and let our local station manager, Gerald Jones, know ifthere are any issues that may need addressing.

Colin Cartwright runs the popular Conwy Valley Railway Museumdirectly opposite Betws-y-coed Station which houses railwaymemorabilia and, outside, has a tiny rail yard with miniature steamtrains children can ride on.

Colin said:

We count ourselves lucky to have the station andgateway to the scenic Conwy Valley Line practically on ourdoorstep. By officially adopting the station we can help to play areal role in its future and encourage local people and visitors tothe museum to explore our wonderful local area bytrain.

Since the Adopt a Station scheme was created by Arriva stationadoption teams have used their creative energies to improve stationenvironments for local people:

• In Dolau, on the Heart of Wales Line, andCriccieth, on the Cambrian Coast, rural stationshave been transformed by green fingered station adopters. Floraldisplays at the stations have won Wales in Bloom Awards;
• Three stations in the South Wales valleys have benefited from asplash of colour thanks to artwork produced by adoption teams. AtTonypandy, in the Rhondda Valley,station murals produced by teenage artists have improved thestation for local commuters and visitors;
• Community projects carried out at ChirkStation, in North Wales, in partnership with local adopters,brownies, girl guides and members of the Chirk Fire Service scoopeda major Network Rail Environment Award. The national awardrecognised efforts to improve the station appearance and place thestation at the heart of the community.

At a number of Arriva's adopted stations British TransportPolice have reported a drop in crime and anti-social behaviour.Gowerton Station, near Swansea, has seen a 40 percent reduction in incidents of trespass and vandalism.

Ian Bullock, customer services director for Arriva Trains Wales,said:

By acting as an extra pair of eyes and ears at localstations and keeping us informed of any issues that needaddressing, station adopters perform a valuable role for ArrivaTrains Wales.

From local individuals and businesses to communitygroups and rail enthusiasts, station adopters invest a great dealof their time and enthusiasm helping us to ensure that our stationsmeet the high standards expected by rail users and we are extremelygrateful to them for their commitment.

Station adopters carry out regular spot checks relating to thetidiness and cleanliness of the station, in addition to thosealready undertaken by Arriva Trains Wales. Any issues that may needaddressing are then passed on to the local station manager. Inreturn, adopters are offered travel vouchers for use on the ArrivaTrains Wales network.

More information about the scheme can be obtained by callingArriva Trains Wales' customer relations team on 0845 6061 660 or byvisitingwww.arrivatrainswales.co.uk.

Ends

Notes to editors

• The Arriva Trains Wales/Trenau Arriva Cymru Adopt a Stationscheme is supported by the British Transport Police and theAssociation of Community Rail Partnerships.
• Arriva Trains Wales provides interurban, rural and commuterpassenger rail services throughout Wales and the border counties.The company carries approximately 60,000 passengers each day acrossa network of over 1000 miles. Arriva Trains Wales employs over 2000people and operates 237 stations, 190 of which areunstaffed.