Supporters of Honiton Station are celebrating after being presented with a top prize for the second year running at the annual Stations in Bloom awards in Sherborne.

The Friends of Honiton Station received a Gold Award at a ceremony held at Castle Garden Centre on Tuesday, October 17. The certificates were presented by Stuart Meek, chief operating officer at South Western Railway.

As well as praising the range of outstanding floral planters at the station, the judges commended the group for their work with the local community, describing its work as “Excellent and inspirational.”

Each of the planters at the station has been adopted by a local group that provides support to the community. The latest to join the scheme was Dementia Friendly Honiton earlier this year. Every planter has an original art work on it, created by a member or supporter of the group, and next to each planter is a small plaque describing the group’s work and how to contact it for support.

Peter Williams, customer and commercial director of SWR, said: “The bond between South Western Railway and the communities we serve is of great importance to us, and our fantastic station adopters have been vitally important in cultivating and deepening that relationship. Our station adopters are an integral part of the wider railway family, and it has been wonderful to see the many creative ways that they have contributed to local communities across the network.”

Chairman of The Friends of Honiton Station, Martin Long, said: “We are delighted to have received this prestigious award for a second time. Everyone has worked so hard to make the station an attractive place to be. We are grateful to SWR and to our outstanding station staff for all that they do to keep the station looking so good. It is very important to us that we do everything we can to connect the community with its station and to encourage everyone to feel part of the station.”

Councillor Jenny Brown, the lead member of the group for art and planting projects, added: “We are grateful to all the wonderful community groups who take part in our Adopt a Pot scheme and do so much to help us look after the station.”

To find out more about The Friends of Honiton Station, and to read its monthly newsletter, see their website at: friendsofhonitonstation.org.uk