A West Cumbrian railway station has a new planter, inspired by artwork created by primary school pupils.
The Train of Values planter at Flimby Railway Station was created through a partnership between Community Rail Cumbria, part of Cumberland Council, Flimby Primary School, Northern Trains and Gen2.
The idea was developed by executive headteacher Tanya Peers and brought to life by apprentices from Sellafield and Mitie, who worked alongside Simon Farrar, welding and fabrication trainer/assessor at Gen2, to transform the children’s design into a permanent feature for the station.
Over the last 12 months, the apprentices created the installation, gaining practical experience while contributing to a community project.
Flimby Train of Values was officially unveiled on July 17 and school chair Jimmy Nelson cutting the ribbon.
The Flimby station has seen a series of improvements since the school adopted it in 2018, including the Our Flimby boards following the Covid-19 pandemic, the creation of history boards and a mural along the southbound platform.
The project follows a ship planter installation at Whitehaven Railway Station, which was also created by apprentices in partnership with Community Rail Cumbria, Northern Trains and Gen2.
Ms Peers said: “This wonderful project showcases our school vision and values in a way that can be seen and enjoyed by everyone passing through the station.
“It is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when schools, businesses and the local community work together.
“A huge thank you to Sellafield, Community Rail, Mitie, Gen2 and Northern for their support in bringing this project to life.”
Mr Farrar said: “At Gen2 we work closely with the community and strive to help where we can, this helps us build good relationships within Cumbria.
“We started with Community Rail Cumbria and we now have three sculptures located at stations along the Cumbrian Coast Line with more in the pipeline.
“This gives students a sense of pride in what is made as they can say ‘I helped with that.’ Being able to help the community shows what we can achieve at Gen2 and how the students can go above and beyond their normal curriculum.
“For this project we were provided a painting produced by the pupils of Flimby Primary School, the brief to keep the sculpture as close to the painting as possible, hopefully this is what we have managed to achieve.”
Jane Murray, station manager at Northern Trains, said: “The arrival of the new metal train sculpture at Flimby Station is a fantastic addition that will be enjoyed by customers and visitors for years to come.
“This inspiring project brought together Northern, Community Rail Cumbria, Gen2 and the pupils of Flimby School, who collaborated to design and create this remarkable piece of artwork. The sculpture stands as a lasting testament to the power of partnership and community engagement.
“I am incredibly proud to have been involved in this project. The train will take pride of place on the station platform, serving as a visible reminder of what can be achieved when organisations, schools and local communities work together to create something truly special.”
Warren Birch, community rail partnership officer, said: “It was wonderful to collaborate with these key partners once again to deliver this iconic train planter, but more importantly to recognise what the Train of Values means to Flimby Primary School.
“We hope this vibrant display will brighten up the platform for passengers passing through on the train or alighting at Flimby Railway Station.”
