Honiton train station receives two prestigious awards

This week they paid tribute to the many local community groups, organisations and individuals who have supported them on this journey.

At a ceremony at Woking on October 10, the Friends were presented with South Western Railway’s Community Rail award for the best artwork at one of their stations.

The judges said: “The artwork has quickly proved to be a strong talking point for those travelling to and from the station.

“Passengers have commented on the increased attractiveness of the station. The artwork on the planters has continued to draw attention to the vital work of local charities and community groups. 

“The artwork brings great vibrancy to the station.”

On October 16, The Friends of Honiton were pleased to receive their third consecutive Gold Award in the annual Stations in Bloom competition.

The judges praised the station adopters for having what they described as “fantastic artwork everywhere, linked to local good causes."

At the end of the presentation ceremony at Sherborne, the team from Honiton Station were surprised and delighted when the judges announced that they were making a special award for the station for its “Outstanding Achievement”, in recognition of its superb community links, nurturing health and well-being.

The present phase of work undertaken by The Friends of Honiton Station has built on its initial objective to celebrate and highlight the work of local charities.

The group commissioned original pieces of artwork created by each local charity, attached to planters adopted by them.

These are accompanied by small panels which tell people visiting the station about the charity’s work and how to access its services.

Local artist Brittany Lakin, who had illustrated several of the planters on behalf of these charities, then created original artwork on both sides of the Platform one shed.

Gemma Girvan (curator, Thelma Hulbert Gallery), Martin Long (chairman, The Friends of Honiton Station) and Councillor Jenny Brown (East Devon District Council and Honiton Town Council). (Image: Dave Withey) Last year, in a project involving a range of partners both inside and beyond the railway community, a new mural was created for the footbridge as part of Thelma Hulbert Gallery's Honiton Hippo project.

Friends of Honiton Train Station hipp mural (Image: Vernon Whitlock) The gallery held workshops as part of the national Wild Escape Project led by the Art Fund in partnership with Honiton Primary School, Allhallows Museum and Blackdown Hills National Landscape.

The Wild Escape project explored changes in natural landscapes, revealing stories and connections to nature, the creatures we coexist with and biodiversity in the UK.

Over the course of nine workshops led by the artist Alistair Lambert, 28 pupils from Years four and five at Honiton Primary School took inspiration from the Allhallows Museum's collection of hippo fossils, THG’s exhibition 'Paradise Found' and the nature surrounding the Blackdown Hills to create the collage.

Commenting on the SWR award, the curator of the Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Gemma Gervan, said: “Many congratulations to the Friends of Honiton Station on achieving this award. The Friends are such an active and integral part of our community. We have enjoyed collaborating with them to feature this vibrant mural as a welcome to visitors arriving at Honiton Station.

“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase the artwork created by Honiton Primary School students as part of our Wild Escape Project. We all agree it is a meaningful legacy to the students’ creativity.”

The chairman of The Friends of Honiton Station, Martin Long, thanked members, supporters and partners for all their hard work, especially Councillor Jenny Brown who worked with several local community groups to create the successful “adopt a pot” scheme, which was recognised by the Stations in Bloom judges.

Stations in Bloom is a celebration of the work volunteers do across the country to improve the environment for passengers passing through their stations.

A team of judges visit each group in the Summer, to assess stations for everything from the range of passenger and visitor travel information and facilities, to how the station reflects its location.

The key things that the judges are looking for are the quality and variety of planting at the station, including its sustainability and support for the environment, and the involvement of volunteers and the wider community in improving the station.

Commenting on both awards, Martin Long said: “We are delighted to receive these awards. They are a tribute to the hard work of so many people, but especially to our hard-working volunteers and local supporters. They do so much to make the station an attractive and interesting place to be.

“We are particularly grateful to our friends at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery, for the many creative projects we have been involved in together, which have engaged the station with local children. We have enjoyed fantastic support from South Western Railway, the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership, Network Rail and Honiton Town Council, among others too many to mention.

“We are grateful to everyone who has supported us in our work so far, and we look forward to working with them in the future, as we continue our projects at the station.”