The Friends of Radcliffe station do an amazing job of keeping the station looking vibrant and friendly so when a local group approached them with an idea to add another dimension to the station they jumped at the chance. Karine, a local resident, approached the Friends to ask about utilising a piece of unused land on Platform 2 to create a community vegetable patch. The intention was to grow vegetables for local charity Rad Cooks which delivers healthy and tasty meals to the most vulnerable in Radcliffe.

The Poacher Line and East Midlands Railway were keen to get involved and permission was granted and the Poacher Line officer managed to secure funding from Community Rail Network.

The first task was to clear the overgrown area and mark out the size of the intended beds. Then over 2 sunny days in late March 2021 the group came together to build two huge vegetable beds and fill them with 6 tonnes of soil!

The group will now grow vegetables following the three sisters method of planting which will include, Corn on the Cob, Runner Beans and Courgettes – the beds are even deep enough to grow potatoes! We are looking forward to following the tasty progress at our station – check back for more photos later!