South East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership

Bolton

South East Lancashire Community Rail Partnership (previously known as Bolton & South Lancashire Community Rail Partnership), grew out of the work of Bolton Station Community Partnership, and is subsequently based at Bolton Station.

SELCRP projects in Wigan

Rivington Bus Link

  • SELCRP has coordinated a bus link to Rivington Country Park for the past 5 years from 2021 – 2025
  • This project was initially developed by SELCRP in collaboration with Rotala (Diamond Bus NW), and over the years has been supported by a range of funders including Community Rail Network, Northern, CrossCountry Trains, Horwich Town Council and Lancashire County Council
  • The project aimed to provide an affordable and reliable integrated transport link for the local community and visitors from the wider Greater Manchester area
  • In 2024 Lancashire County Council agreed to provide funding to extend the route to also serve the Chorley area
  • The 2025 service is currently being operated by Stagecoach every Sunday and Bank Holiday from 25th May to 2nd November, linking Horwich Parkway and Chorley Stations with Rivington Country Park

2025 Service:

Press Coverage of Previous Services:

Community Rail Trail

  • SELCRP has created a self-guided walking trail from Bolton to Wigan, funded by Avanti West Coast
  • The route links local stations and places of interest along the way to highlight the area’s rich industrial and social history, and to promote local businesses such as cafes, pubs and shops along the route
  • Maps, interactive route guides and information are available on our website – https://www.southeastlancscrp.org.uk/community-rail-trails/  and interpretation boards can be found at all stations along the route

Stations of Sanctuary

  • SELCRP have developed a ‘Stations of Sanctuary’ accreditation scheme, aiming to make railway stations more welcoming for refugees and people seeking asylum
  • Working alongside Bolton City of Sanctuary, and funded by Community Rail Network, Northern and TfGM, the project produced a number of outputs including improvements to information and signposting at the station, the creation and display of community artwork and a ‘Welcome to Bolton’ mural, the development of staff training resources, and an official accreditation scheme available on the City of Sanctuary UK website – https://cdn-e2wra3va3xhgzx.cityofsanctuary.org/uploads/2025/02/Stations-of-Sanctuary-Resource-Pack-2024.pdf
  • The project aims to have a wider impact through other stations taking up the scheme in the future

Beacons of Bolton

  • SELCRP worked in partnership with Community Rail Lancashire to produce an exhibition to celebrate local places of interest as part of a wider project that aimed to showcase the Lancashire landscape along the Clitheroe Line
  • In collaboration with Hive Artists CIC, the project invited the general public to nominate their favourite places and attractions in Bolton, using multiple elements of community engagement including social media and in person ‘post boxes’ hosted at venues across the town centre including the rail station
  • After collecting nominations, local artists were commissioned to create bespoke pieces of work to represent each place of interest, and as a result, the exhibition contains a wide range of art mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, drawing and graphic design.
  • In addition, students from the Fine Art department at The University of Bolton were also invited to respond to the project as a live brief, and the work of three students was chosen to be included in the final exhibition.
  • The exhibition was then launched on Saturday 15th March as part of the Bolton Town of Culture Gala.
  • The project was funded by Northern, Cross Country Trains and Bolton Town of Culture, and the full exhibition is available to view online here – https://prezi.com/view/SkdEbgtzZ7KEludwSYY3/

GM Hate Crime Awareness Week Project

  • This project was developed in partnership with Bolton City of Sanctuary, and funded by Bolton CVS
  • The project aimed to: raise public awareness of the issue of hate crime, make it easier for victims to recognise what hate crime is, how to report it, & how to access support, and to highlight the impact of hate crime in order to try and prevent it
  • Due to restrictions related to Covid‐19, the project was conducted online, and included: a hate crime survey, social media campaign, artist‐led workshops, and an online exhibition
  • The final exhibition of this project can be accessed via ‐ https://prezi.com/view/AgFPMZdUd3bUgEmQpY9Z/

Bolton Station Community Partnership (BSCP)

BSCP was formed in late 2017, in order to prepare plans for a community gala at Bolton station on June 30th 2018, marking the 50th anniversary of the end of steam traction and the closure of Bolton’s loco shed. The event became a major community event involving schools, community groups and a range of local bodies. From the success of the event (attracting over 2000 people) it was decided to continue the partnership’s work and look to bring much of the unoccupied space on the station back to use for the community.

The group currently manage a community room and the P5 Platform Gallery on Platforms 4/5 and have recently undertaken a number of projects including:

BSCP have also been instrumental in the huge project of refurbishing the upstairs rooms on platforms 4/5, alongside Northern, Network Rail and The University of Bolton

Other Station Friends/Adopters in the Bolton area

Friends of Westhoughton Station:

  • Established in 2012 in order to re‐develop and improve the station and its facilities, Friends of Westhoughton Station have made substantial improvements to the area and completely transformed the station environment.
  • The group works with local schools and businesses, and a number of dedicated volunteers usually meet at the station every Sunday to maintain the gardens and make improvements.
  • For more information please visit ‐ http://friends‐of‐westhoughtonstation.org.uk/

Friends of Bromley Cross Station:

  • The Bromley Cross station adoption group, led by local resident Adrian Gollard, works to maintain the station with regular litter picking, and improve the environment through the installation of seasonal planters.