Railway station adopts dog to greet passengers

John Boothroyd and his border terrier Bertie are part of a volunteer group greeting passengers at Kenilworth station

A railway station has adopted a dog to help bring a little bit of extra joy to passengers.

Bertie, a six-year-old border terrier, visits Kenilworth station with his owner John Boothroyd, who is part of a volunteer group that helps make improvements to the station.

The group, part of an initiative called Station Adopters organised by West Midlands Railway (WMR), works to make railway stations as clean, inviting and well-maintained as possible.

Mr Boothroyd said: "Bertie loves meeting new people, so it feels right to bring him along, he's easily fitted in as part of the team and is already very popular with passers-by".

WMR said it had organised for Bertie to have his own high-vis jacket to wear while he is greeting passengers and quality checking any garden beds looking rough around the edges.

Shantel Carty, community engagement manager at WMR, said: "Station adopters play a key role in making our stations welcoming places which serve and represent their local communities".

"We are so excited to see the improvements made at Kenilworth and with Bertie on the case, I'm sure they'll do a paw-fect job.