March Rail Station has received a ‘Wildlife Friendly’ accreditation recognising the work of community volunteers to improve biodiversity and support nature.

Greater Anglia has partnered with the region’s wildlife trusts to formally recognise the achievements of volunteer ‘station adopters’ to create wildlife havens at stations across its network, through the new ‘Greater Anglia Wildlife Friendly Stations Accreditation Scheme.’

The Friends of March Station received the award following an assessment by a Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust conservation officer to determine how well the station supports local flora and fauna.

The ecologist’s report noted that the group’s gardening activities at the station have given clear consideration to wildlife, with the planting of pollinator-friendly plants, as well as wilder tree and shrub areas that provide shelter for birds and insects.

Recently areas of the station’s redeveloped car park were planted with wildflowers in partnership with the Bee Friendly Trust to provide even more opportunities to support wildlife.

James Hogg, development officer at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, the lead trust for the initiative, said: “The alarming decline in the abundance of wildlife and the plight of species under threat means that just protecting the nature we have left is not enough; we need to put nature into recovery, and to do so at scale and with urgency.

“This project with Greater Anglia is a fantastic example of how people can transform nature-poor areas into new nature-rich places – and change the way we think about land, seizing opportunities to help nature outside traditional nature reserves.”

Over the last 20 years, since the start of station adoption in East Anglia, the initiative has thrived, so that the vast majority of Greater Anglia stations now have station adopters.

Station adopters are members of the community who work with Greater Anglia to improve their local rail station for community benefit.