Attenborough Elderflower Community Gardens

Attenborough’s railway station, through years of change and recent heavy use, had become a bit plain and uninspiring – the platforms stood bare and didn't reflect the beauty of Attenborough, its environment, businesses or residents. However In less than two years the volunteers, with help of funding and donations from Big Lottery, Nottinghamshire County Council, Tesco’s and local residents, commuters, Councillors and businesses , have greened both platforms with a fabulous display of planters and plants and installed local history boards. All the planters in Phase 1, the greening of Platform 1 in April 2018, were built by volunteers mostly from recycled materials and donated plants. Phase 2, the greening of Platform 2 in October 2018, was based on what we’d learnt from Phase 1 e.g. improved plants and planters. Its all become home to an array of vibrant flowers in planters with a bug hotel to help insects overwinter. Feedback from Station users has been encouraging and rewarding, especially as it’s not been easy to maintain the planters with the hot summers we’ve had. However nearly 20 volunteers have worked together in ensuring watering has been successful by transporting water from home in shopping trollies, waterproof bags and milk bottles. Over two years each platform has separately been awarded a national silver award by the Association of Community Rail Partnership’s. - the latest was announced in August 2019.

Thursday 29th August 2019 saw the opening of the latest development on the station delivered by the volunteer adopters, the Attenborough Elderflowers – the Attenborough Story, yesterday and today. Early surveys on the station came up with support not just for the greening but also for storyboards giving more information about the station and village and promoting us to visitors. The volunteers were helped by many other people with local knowledge, history, photos and stories indeed so many people were providing research and content for the storyboards that it was impossible to include them all on the platforms. As a result, there are links on each storyboard to a website https://attenboroughelderflowers.com which in part replicates the boards themselves but also provides links to other websites, documents and images. Most importantly it encourages people to tell their own relevant stories, post their own pictures and ensure what is on the boards is not the only part of the story we know about. It also tells people how to become an Elderflower to help maintain the planters and to donate so we have the funds to keep maintaining the planters for years to come.

There is great benefit in ‘greening’ public areas – the RHS says ‘Greening Grey Britain’ aims to ‘provide an air conditioning system for our cities, ease stress, encourage exercise and support wildlife’.

We think our project has made a big difference – for many people the station is the gateway into Attenborough now brings life and a sense of vibrancy and pride to this important space. Residents, commuters, businesses and community groups have helped to support us in our fundraising efforts.

Every penny raised through Crowdfunding helps to build the Attenborough Elderflower Community Gardens bringing with it all the associated health and wellbeing benefits of being active outdoors. Donations are sought to:

- Buy plants, seeds and shrubs on a seasonal basis

- Maintain and create new community gardens

Local traders and our schools, care centres and community groups are encouraged to use it to build new relationships and get involved in a truly local project. We hope this garden will be the fore runner of other local community garden schemes in the village e.g. working with the nursey to create a learning habitat

Growth in rail services and journeys has resulted in more car journeys to the village. By promoting the environmental and health benefits of the station and its garden we will hope to inspire those journeys to be made by walking and cycling and for more people to use the station

We have brought back some of the beauty to Attenborough Station and your donations will make a big difference to our project.

The great majority of Elderflowers are also members of Attenborough Garden Club, all are volunteers and, at present the age range is 60-80 years old. They are official East Midlands Railway adopters of Attenborough Station.