The Friends of Squires Gate Station have published their second quarterly report of 2024 and details can be seen below.
Fence Painting on Platform 2 – Barrie Russell
Somewhere on this globe we call Earth, is a small dot called Squires Gate, in the big scheme of things we are just a “tiny community”, but like so many volunteers across the UK we are making a big impact on the areas in which we live and work. That’s why its important to provide updates like this to inform and educate those around us as to what is going on.
Moving on, in May we got some respite from the wet weather and managed to finish off the remaining fence painting on Platform 2, although we still had to do it in stages as the damp conditions were soon back to impede our progress. We were given some plants by Fylde which we planted along with other plants we purchased. They were placed in raised and ground beds, though the brief hot conditions did test them and alas some did not survive. We also planted strawberries, knowing full well that we might not achieve the fruits of our labour in favour of the local blackbirds. The watering system received some ongoing upgrades to it. We also found two dead rats which over the course of a few days eventually disappeared, the natural ecosystem where scavengers play an important role in the food chain.
We were keeping the plants on Platform 1 for as long as we could until it came to the point in June to plant new bedding and perennials to replace those that were coming to the end of their lifespan. Some perennials like Erysimum (those bushy plants in the pictures) have a three-year life before they start to become woody and less attractive.
At the start of June, we spent some time on reviewing the structure of our beds on Platform 2 and added some extra plants to fill them out until we were ready to do more. The Nepeta (Catnips) has been a big attraction for the bees but it’s a “thug” and takes up valuable space required by other plants and blocks water from reaching the soil surface so we cut it back to encourage new growth and another flush of flowers with the ultimate aim of removing it later in the year, sadly the hot dry weather really slowed it down but we were able to still revise the bed structure. The ladies also took the opportunity to refresh the paint on the crate raised beds. We also moved the new station sign out of storage so that we could finally begin the job of installing it in stages. Bedding plants were inserted on most of Platform 1 to replace the spring flush, but there were gaps in the seat beds which were replaced in July thanks to funding from Northern.
During July, the weather was still volatile which inhibited our progress but we eventually managed to repaint the edge of Platform 2, (happy to do Platform 1 if Northern allow us); More work on the new sign “posts” was completed though drilling holes was a chore, along with the watering system, you can see the connections with hose leading off to the beds, both work in progress. Platform 1 is still an ordeal to water with us having to bring water in by hand. We suffered loss of water on Platform 2, we think down to someone turning on one of the valves on the platform which in turn drained our water tanks. We also still have rail passengers sitting on our raised beds and squashing plants on Platform 1, thankfully a minor hindrance. We had a visit from the Yorkshire Dales Explorer named train as well.
These pictures depict a “before” and “after” collage of the seated beds on Platform 1 which were refreshed using a grant from Northern. As indicated earlier we removed the woody Erysimum perennial that had come to the end of its three-year cycle along with other struggling plants, replaced some of the very old compost with soil conditioner compost, and put in bedding plants to brighten them up and make them more vibrant.
A well-earned rest after a lot of bending and hard work planting the beds is always welcome, and allows contemplation of our hard work, but still keeps the horticultural cogs whirring around just in case a new idea comes into mind.
We added a couple of new posters to Platform 1, one identifying Spring Wildflowers just to guide rail users and visitors to identify that they are not all “weedicous-muchicous” but actually wildflowers that keep our hedgerows and fields full of wildlife. A poster template provided by Karen Bennett from Community Rail Lancashire called “Trains of the Reign” which we had printed as a “wrap” and placed on an old repurposed Northern car park sign. And a 100 Women/100 Journeys board that was removed from Pleasure Beach Station to make way for newer artwork.
We are, as always, extremely indebted to Network Rail, Community Rail Lancashire, Northern, St Anne’s Town Council, Fylde Borough Council and ISS for their support, inspiration, encouragement and the local community without which we would not be able continue with our ongoing achievements and wider impact on the community.
Barrie Russell/Paul Nettleton – Friends of Squires Gate Railway Station – July 2024