It was an action-packed week of events and activities as South East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership (SELCRP) celebrated Community Rail Week 2025, from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 May.
Community Rail Week, sponsored by Rail Delivery Group, is the annual celebration of all things community rail and the power of train travel and infrastructure to bring people together. And given that 2025 is also Railway 200, a nationwide initiative marking 200 years of the modern railway, celebrating the four key themes (Skills & Education. Innovation, Technology & Environment. Heritage, Culture & Tourism. Celebrating Railway People) this year was especially important.
SELCRP focused particularly on exploring and championing the biodiversity at its stations for Community Rail Week – highlighting the importance of green spaces at stations, promoting sustainability and encouraging visits to see the fantastic work of Station Adoption Groups and volunteers. A week-long social media campaign showcased some great examples, with photographs and interviews, including at Hindley, Westhoughton, Bolton, Daisy Hill and Wigan.
Wednesday 21 May saw Biodiversity Day take place at Bolton Station, with 400 packets of bee-friendly wildflower seeds handed to passengers and staff, along with information cards giving a little more detail about Community Rail Week and Community Rail Partnerships. Whether to be taken home and planted, or handed on as gift, the wildflower seeds symbolised the power we all have to promote growth and biodiversity, and that this can even start in urban spaces like stations.
The theme of promoting sustainable tourism and leisure also featured significantly in the relaunch of the Rivington Rambler 125R Bus Service on Sunday 25 May – now in its fifth year. Running on Sundays and Bank Holidays through to November, the service links Horwich Parkway and Chorley Stations with Rivington Country Park, connecting rail users with a fantastic green space that may otherwise be inaccessible without a car.
SELCRP’s Community Rail Week celebrations even continued into bank holiday Monday (26 May), with a guided walk from Wigan to Hindley, in collaboration with Be Well Wigan. This followed a section of the Wigan to Bolton ‘Community Rail Trail’ (devised by SELCRP and funded by Avanti West Coast), exploring local landscapes and the biodiversity on display in rural as well as urban areas. It was a fantastic opportunity to embrace walking for positive mental and physical wellbeing, whilst also learning about stations and local history along the route. Given that May was also Local and Community History month, this certainly was a timely walk.
Community Rail Week 2025 broke previous records, with this year seeing 140 community-led activities and events taking place across England, Scotland and Wales – and something that SELCRP was very proud to be a part of. You can find out more information about Community Rail Week and Railway 200 via their websites, and visit the SELCRP Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with events and activities.
