Railway station message board spreading positivity

The whiteboard displays a new message for every day of the week

Staff at a train station have started writing friendly messages on a welcome board to spread positivity and kindness among passengers.

Paul Rowland, gateline assistant at Chippenham Railway Station in Wiltshire, said he first started leaving messages on the whiteboard back in May.

The board had previously been used to inform passengers of train delays or cancellations.

Mr Rowland said it brightens peoples' days, and makes it less likely for them to take out their frustrations on the staff.

Mr Rowland says the board "brightens up your day"

Mr Rowland told BBC Radio Wiltshire the message board used to frustrate passengers on their way to work, because it listed the train services that were no longer running to schedule.

Now, he looks forward to seeing people's reactions as they walk through the doors.

“[People] love it," Mr Rowland said.

"They come in in the morning, read it, smile, take pictures and then ask who did it. I always say it’s me."

Mr Rowland often signs off his messages to add a personal touch

Mr Rowland said he began by coming up with the messages himself, but it became "too difficult of a task" to think of an inspiring new one every day.

“Now I just scour the internet until I can find a positive message, and I put that down," he said.

The message board in the train station foyer, welcoming passengers in

Instead of being met with bad news on their way to work, passengers are greeted by a message of positivity.

“It brightens up your day first thing in the morning," said Mr Rowland.

“They don’t take it out on the staff when their tickets don’t work or if a train is delayed.

"It’s positive for them, its positive for us."

The quotes aim to inspire, motivate, or cheer up passengers