Plea to find railway station adopters

East Midlands Railway says it has station adopters in place at 98 locations

Volunteers are being sought to help look after railway stations across Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) says it already has "station adopters" helping out at 98 stations.

The company is now looking for people to maintain Elton and Orston, Fiskerton, Melton Mowbray and Nottingham stations.

One station adopter said it helped him to give back to the community.

EMR said the volunteers were used for "keeping an eye out for any unusual activity and reporting faults and issues" as well as "maintaining the gardens and ensuring the station is presentable".

Gary Shaw works for Mansfield Town Community Trust and acts as a station adopter at Mansfield railway station.

"It's that sense of belonging you get when you give something back and do something for your community," the 45-year-old said.

"Especially if you are a user of trains on a regular basis, you can have that sense of ownership."

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