Station looks blooming marvellous

Wigan Wallgate has undergone a stunning makeover thanks to green-fingered rail workers.
The floral garden at Wigan Wallgate which has made by rail worker John ParryThe floral garden at Wigan Wallgate which has made by rail worker John Parry
The floral garden at Wigan Wallgate which has made by rail worker John Parry

Staff at the station have been sprucing up patches of unused land on the platform by planting beautiful flower arrangements.

The project began a couple of months ago when rail worker John Parry took it upon himself to improve the station’s looks.

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“Originally I started it because it was in a bit of a state,” John said.

“I took it on board and adopted it on behalf of the station. Since then we’ve got loads of people involved.”

John’s gardening work caught the eye of Northern Rail colleague Candice Berry, who was more than happy to see her hometown station get a much needed facelift.

Candice, a train conductor from Standish Lower Ground said: “I’ve used Wigan Wallgate all my life.

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“I saw that John was putting flowers in, so we developed it together as a brainchild to adopt the station as our own, and make it more of a communal garden. It’s had some incredible feedback.”

And the team behind the project, called Wigan Wallflowers, have now been granted funding by the Brighter Borough fund. The Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACORP), have also pledged thousands of pounds to the project, which Candice says will now look towards creating an “incredible edible” garden, filled with herbs, fruits and vegetables.

You can see the team’s floral work on Twitter at @WGWwallflowers.