Art painted at station to 'brighten the place up'

The 14m (45.9ft) piece of artwork has been added to Barrow-upon-Soar railway station

A fence has been decorated at Barrow-upon-Soar railway station by more than 90 volunteers in a bid to make the station "more welcoming".

Stewart Pawley, the lead artist for the project, said volunteers aged from four to 70 painted flowers to create the 14m (45.9ft) piece of art y at platform two.

The idea originated when Barrow Railway Station Adoption Group - a group of volunteers that works with the train operator East Midlands Railway - formed in January 2022 and discussed what work could be done to add colour to the platform.

A spokesperson for East Midlands Railway said the adopters group had made the station one of the best kept in the country.

Mr Pawley said: "The idea initially was to brighten the place up, to make it a more welcoming place.

"So, if you're starting your day and you're going to head up to London or Nottingham or wherever, you've got a nice place to start and to come back to."

Mr Pawley told the BBC it was "great" to see the community input, which included children at a local nursery, Scouts and a gardening club.

"A lot of local people have said it makes a lot of difference to the place along with the flower beds that the rest of the group put in," he said.

"There's an awful lot of stuff down there just to make it a nice place to be as opposed to a dull place."

More than 90 volunteers took part in the project

A spokesperson for East Midlands Railway said the operator was "hugely proud" of the station adopters.

"Few stations serve as such an attractive shop window for their community as Barrow," they said.

"What makes this even more special is how truly community-driven it is. So many hands have contributed, and the result is a testament to the dedication, creativity, and spirit of everyone involved.

"We'd like to thank the Barrow Railway Station Adoption Group and all of our volunteers for their outstanding commitment and passion."