WEST Byfleet has won a gold award in the Stations in Bloom competition.

The station was adopted by the West Byfleet Community Gardening Group three years ago and two of its members, Rebecca Bradshaw and Diane Cozens, were recently presented with the gold award certificate by Stuart Meek, chief operating officer at South Western Railway.

More than 70 stations entered across the South Western Railway and Great Western Railway networks.

Diane said: “This Stations in Bloom gold award is recognition of the huge amount of work by our volunteers to make West Byfleet station and the environs more attractive to commuters, local residents and wildlife.

“The planting at the station is sustainable and wildlife-friendly as everyone can see by the number of bees flocking round the flowers.  If anyone would like to join the friendly gardening volunteers, we usually meet at the station on Tuesday mornings.

“We have about a dozen volunteers but they don’t all work at the same time. Generally about six to eight volunteers turn up 9.30am on Tuesdays, and we work for about an hour and a half.

“Anyone wanting to join us should email [email protected] or just turn up at the station and bring gloves and hand tools. 

“The work is not too strenuous and involves lots of chat and laughs. 

“As well as gardening at the station, we have been planting hedging and bulbs on Birch Green and started tending the four big wooden planters on Old Woking Road in front of the shops.

“Woking area Men’s Shed built four wooden planters for Platform One which we planted up with colourful, sustainable, drought-tolerant plants, and we also planted the raised bed outside the rail underpass.”