“All change” at Walkden …

Freshly painted stairway walls and a new roof make very welcome improvements to Walkden station

October has arguably been the best month for Walkden station since FOWS was launched in February 2007, with numerous, sizeable improvement projects coming to fruition.

Firstly the roof renovation is nearly complete and looking infinitely smarter than the old roof. The new roof should be water-proof again, so the water damage caused by leaks onto the stairways should become a thing of the past.

After Network Rail rejected our initial request to repaint the stairway walls (arguing this was the responsibility of Northern Rail) we were delighted when the decision was reversed and the whole length of the stairway and Booking Hall walls were freshly painted. The results are a vast improvement on the grubby, stained walls we had before.

The long-awaited tannoy system is also nearing “go-live” too, and may even be working by the time you read this. Having a local tannoy will enable staff to inform passengers of delays without having to close the Booking Office to walk up to the platform.

For a more detailed review of the station’s improving condition, check out our latest station condition report.

And FOWS are doing their bit too … pending a council funding decision today we hope to have winter plants installed in the gardens very soon.

Gardening and tidying the station

FOWS gardeners have had a busy morning weeding the flower beds and taking out the summer-flowering plants like daisies which have now gone over.

It may have been a poor summer for gardeners generally but plenty of things have still been growing – as evidenced by the 7 bin bags of green waste we carted away today !

We hope you agree the flower beds look a bit smarter once again.

Walkden sunflowers bloom !

Sunflowers and daisies make a colourful scene on the Wigan platform at Walkden

The sunflowers donated by FOWS member and keen gardener Peter Hope are coming into flower and adding a striking dash of colour to the platforms at Walkden.

Unfortunately half of the 10 flowers Peter planted have been destroyed by vandals, but those that remain are adding a welcome splash of sunshine and colour to this wet summer.

Sunflowers suffer at the hands of vandals

Sadly, the sunflowers on the Manchester platform have suffered an attack of vandalism.

Click here for a reminder of how lovely they looked on Sunday.

We can only feel sorry for passengers who have enjoyed the sight of these beautiful plants surging toward the sun, and also for the individual responsible who clearly has some issues if they enjoy attacking pretty flowers !

FOWS fresh up flower beds at Walkden

We’ve been unable to attend to the flower beds for a few weeks due to holidays and commitments, so there was quite a bit of weeding to be done at the station this morning.

We also put in some new bedding – Busy Lizzies and Pansies – to brighten it up, and some beautiful begonias kindly donated by Peter Hope (who also gave us the wonderful sunflowers now shooting up on both sides of the platform).

A special thank you to Frank Bridge too, for repairing the wooden kickboards at the west (Wigan) end of the Manchester platform, unfortunately they’d been kicked once too often !

Hopefully this year we won’t have any plants nicked and they will give pleasure to station visitors all summer long.

Flower beds are blooming marvellous

Tulips are the highlights of a colourful display on the Wigan flower bed

The flower beds and planters have really benefited from the recent sunny weather and we now have a blaze of colour on the platforms.

We hope passengers enjoy the seasonal colour and agree it’s a great improvement on the disused dirt patches that used to be here.

Spring arrives at Walkden station !

Northern Rail and FOWS have been busy at the station which is now looking in great shape for the spring.

Northern have replaced the vandalised litter bin at the foot of the stairs and blocked off the pigeon loft in the ceiling which was the main cause of all the pigeon mess on the platform this year. Pigeons are still still perching in the rafters of the canopy but without the nest we hope to be past the worst of this problem. Northern also gave the platforms a scrub too as some areas had become covered in the mess.

For their part FOWS have been collecting the litter as usual and sprucing up the flower beds and planters.

We’ve also repainted the wooded border on the Manchester platform to make it look a bit smarter again.

New In Bloom planters add a festive touch to Walkden !

Tired but happy ! FOWS volunteers with the new planters on Walkden station.

Thanks to a second “In Bloom” grant from Salford City Council the Friends of Walkden Station have completed a series of improvements to the environment at Walkden station.

The centrepieces of the latest works are two new stainless steel planters at the eastern end of the island platform (left). In the same style as the three planters already installed further down the platform, the new arrivals have slightly smaller dimensions and house two young conifers – topped off with festive silver and purple tinsel !

In addition to the new planters, FOWS have installed a brand new flower bed in a derelict area of land at the opposite end of the platform, as well as refreshing the larger flower beds on both Wigan and Manchester platforms.

Finally, the nearby Walkden Road shops are also to benefit from a set of Christmas wreaths.

As usual, FOWS have used local companies for their station improvement projects – the planters have been built by local engineering company J. Hughes and the plants and gardening materials are supplied by Linnyshaw Garden Centre.

Flower beds get a winter makeover !

Wigan border full of new plants

Friends of Walkden braved the sub-zero temperature this morning to freshen up the flower beds on both platforms at Walkden. Weeds and dead plants were removed to be replaced with a collection of hebes, mini-conifers, pansies, peoris and ornamental roses amongst others.

The plants have all been funded by a Salford City Council “In Bloom” grant, which is also paying for some new planters currently being manufactured for FOWS by J. Hughes Engineering of Monton.

We hope all station users will enjoy and respect the new plants … and leave them where they are … J

Another new flower bed at Walkden

The new flower bed - before the FOWS makeover

FOWS have planted up the vacant border at the west (road bridge) end of the Manchester platform with a collection of grasses, euonymous, cyclamen and primulas.

The plants have been funded by a new In Bloom grant from Salford City Council, which is also paying for improvements to the existing beds and some new planters – all to be installed by FOWS over the next few weeks.

 

FOWS volunteers with the newly planted bed

This plot of land had been left vacant in the expectation that the station roof renovators would require access through this area, but that work is now understood to have been scheduled for the next financial year, so FOWS decided to “pretty it up” in the meantime.

FOWS are grateful to Salford City Council and the In Bloom project for their continued generous support of our efforts to improve the environment in and around the station.