Update re: Penybont Station- October 2011
In June this year, Arriva Trains Wales created an access ramp at the station giving greater access to the platform for people with restricted mobility.
Work is currently in progress to provide a Customer Service Screen, which will provide up to date information on the train service on the line.
Roadsigns have been erected at the roundabout in Crossgates, showing the direction & distance to Penybont station, together with a ‘fingerpoint’ sign opposite the entrance to the station.
Our group of volunteers has swelled in numbers, and some progress is being made with clearing & weeding, and plants which have kindly been donated, together with some which have been provided by Arriva Trains Wales, are gradually being introduced.
The work on erecting the renovated nameboard on the disused platform should take place this winter.
This summer has seen the garden at the station become very dry, and we have been granted permission by Arriva Train Wales to position a water barrel adjacent to the shelter, with guttering attached to the shelter to collect rainwater for use on the gardens. We would very much welcome the donation of a rain barrel, if anyone currently has one which they do not use.
We also would like to have access to a petrol strimmer to enable us to strim the grass on the disused platform more regularly, and again would appeal to anyone who may have a petrol strimmer which they no longer use to consider giving or loaning it us to assist us in the upkeep of the station.
We hope that the work we undertake as volunteers at Penybont station help to make it a more pleasant place for everyone to use.
Sue & Tony Cooke
Penybont Station Adopters (tel 01597 851879)
Update on Penybont Station for LLanbadarn Fawr Community Council
Disabled access has been provided by Arriva Trains Wales - a ramp has been constructed and surfaced with tar. On the platform side a rail has been installed on the slope.
Two new signs have been erected on the platform lamp-posts by Arriva Trains Wales, the shelter has been painted and a ‘WAY OUT’ sign was erected on the shelter.
Flower pots are to be planted up this month (June).
Shortly, access to the disused platform will be permitted. Then we will be able to fit the new Station Name-board and cut the grass on the disused platform.
Report from Tony Cooke
01/06/2011
An update (May 2011) on work progress during 2010 - correspondence between Sue & Tony Cooke and the Community Council:
Sent:
16 September 2010 18:06
To: Joanna Early
Subject: FW: re LLanbadarn fawrCommunity Council - Penybont Station
Hi Jo
I did send the email below back in May, don’t know if you ever got it. The request about garden tools still stands.
I have only spend about £15 so far this year, which I have receipts for – do you want them now or wait till I have spent more?I can certainly spend the whole £50, if its ok I will most probably buy stuff to go in pots as the ‘garden’!! is running away with us – I may buy bulbs for the spring etc?Let me know?
Today I have planted up 3 tubs with winter flowering pansies which are to go to the station during this week or the weekend & I will bring home the 2 pots which have summer bedding plants in them
.
I did put 4 separate pots of summer bedding plants in the chimney pots outside the gate but sadly 2 were taken, so I removed the other 2 as they looked a bit folorn.
Earlier in the year we actually cut down a couple of saplings which were growing strongly towards the light & were weak & feeble. The area beyond the shelter was cut down to ground level in the spring but has regrown with renewed vigour to quite a wilderness at the moment. (see photo!)
We have a large pile of garden waste at the end of the platform which we are waiting for a suitable free day to burn as a bonfire; removing the waste from the station is a problem to us as it has to fit into tubs or bags to fit into our hatchback to take to garden waste sites.
We have been concentrating on the area immediately opposite the gate, under the conker tree, which we are trying to ‘tame’ and to encourage it to just appear ‘tidy’.
The grass on the disused platform has been strimmed on several occasions during the summer but we have since been contacted & advised that we are not to access that platform as it is not leased by Arriva trains Wales as part of the station leasing. This does present a setback as we have had the letters made for the old sign which was located on that platform, I believe they have been completed & may have been attached to the backboard, the aim is to make a second sign to match the black & white one on the main platform. This has incurred a cost of approx £100 I believe, we have secured £50 from HOWLTA towards it (instead of buying plants with that money) and so are approx £50 short on the funding; any contribution from the community council would of course be appreciated – receipts would be available. We will work on a means of getting the sign erected on the disused platform somehow.
Following the station Inspection meeting by Shelley Hall from Arriva Trains Wales I was informed in May that new station name signs are being produced;the inside of the shelter is to be painted where the phone has been removed; the poster is to be updated to give details of the nearest pay phone; concrete posts lying in the car park are to be removed; the poor state of the white picket fence in the car park ‘has been noted’ – however no action has happened on any of these items yet, I will chase up ATW to see if we can establish when any of the above may be carried out!
I am attaching some photos we took in August for you to see for yourselves.
Feel free to ring me on 01597 851879 if you want to know anything else, or if you want us to pop along to a meeting to tell you anything else.
Grateful for the support & assistance
Regards
Sue & Tony Cooke (Penybont station)
Sent:
31 May 2010 20:53
To: 'Joanna Early'
Subject: RE: re LLanbadarn fawrCommunity Council - Penybont Station
Hi Jo
At last I have started buying some plants for the station in dribs & drabs – do you want receipts as I go along or is it ok to keep them till I have reached the £50 value? Which may be much later in the year as I may buy some plants for autumn planting.
Also, is it cheeky to ask you to remind any of the Community councillors who previously mentioned they might have any old garden tools we could use if we could arrange to receive them? We will be willing to collect them from the Community centre or wherever, if you are able to get them together for us.Nothing will be too old, we will be grateful for any donations.
Also Derek had mentioned that he might try to raise the idea of signs for the station from the roundabout; I understand the current situation re expenditure with Powys CC but would appreciate any support in that way to highlight its location for increased passenger use.
Thanks for your support,
Regards
Sue & Tony Cooke
Station Adopters, Penybont Station
Sent: 23 February 2010 11:04
To: Sue Cooke
Subject: RE: re LLanbadarn fawrCommunity Council - Penybont Station
Hi
No deadline, if it is after 31 March will go into our next financial year, so if before the councilors may give you another donation next year, but I cannot confirm that.
I did notice that they have got shrubs and bulbs in Aldi this week, very cheap, I have bought shrubs from there and they have grown brilliantly considering they are so cheap, might be worth a look, £50 will go along way in there!!
Regards,
Jo
Sent: 14 February 2010 16:08
To: Joanna Early
Subject: RE: re LLanbadarn fawrCommunity Council - Penybont Station
Hi Jo
That is great news, thank you very much. Is there a deadline when you need us to have produced the receipts by? Naturally we will get to work on this over the springtime, but let me know if there is any urgency. I will also let you know what we purchase.
I have also heard from Peter, thank you, & will get back to him directly.
We will appreciate any donations of tools & if you want us to pick them up from a meeting let us know & we will call by – thanks to everyone.
We are very grateful for this support.
Regards
Sue & Tony Cooke (Penybont Station)
Sent: 09 February 2010 14:48
To: Sue Cooke
Subject: RE: re LLanbadarn fawrCommunity Council - Penybont Station
Hi
Following our meeting last week, the councilors have decided to give you, the Penybont station committee, £50 towards the cost of plants and shrubbery for the station. If you purchase the plants and then give me the receipts I can issue you with a cheque for the cost. I am going to forward all your mails to Peter Cross and ask him to develop a page for the station on the website, with your wish list, this will then hopefully encourage people to donate to you as well. I have forwarded your wish list to the councilors also and many of them have tools that they have said you can have, so will try and co-ordinate this for the next meeting for you.
Hope this is OK for you
Jo Early
Clerk to the council
Sent: 15 January 2010 18:52
To: Joanna Early
Subject: re LLanbadarn fawrCommunity Council - Penybont Station
Hi Jo
Following our meeting in December regarding any possible funding for improvements at Penybont station I am eventually getting round to forwarding the information you requested – apologies for the delay.
I will send separately some photos showing the work we have already done,I can reduce their size that way..
With regards to financial support either under the Tidy Towns initiative or as an application for some funding from any slippage funding the Community Council has available, the following is a ‘wish list ‘ of items which would assist us (adopters of the Station) to continue with our improvements:
Garden tools: garden spade
Garden fork
Hand trowel
Hand fork
Plastic tubs (to carry garden waste away to recycling)
Collapsible wheelbarrow(we could fit in our car as we have nowhere to leave tools)
2 sets of garden shears
2 sets secateurs
2 sets heavy duty gardening gloves
2 industrial brooms
Rake
Watering can
Pruning shears/pruning saw
Shed/storage place to store the gardening equipment (would need permission from ATW for siting this)
Plants/equipment: any funding would be appreciated for plants – it would be ideal to plant a range of ground covering perennials which would leave a legacy for the future requiring little attention. Also funding for any pots/containers bedding plants would be gratefully received – if an itemised list is required I can put one together.
We have removed the old sign from the disused platform& are working on getting letters made for it to enable us to renovate it in the style of the one on the platform in use – there will be a cost for these letters to be made – we supply the backboard & paint etc ourselves. Any financial support towards the cost of the letters would also be appreciated (at present the cost is not known).
For your information we are working with George Scarfe to request Network Rail to move the unsightly cage which is currently on the disused platform to an area of waste ground on the left of the entrance gate as you enter the station; this would in time give us a better opportunity to work on tidying the disused platform.
I will also forward to you a copy of the invitation we have received regarding a meeting about an approach being made to the national Assembly for a 5th train on this line – they are seeking the views of all communities along the line. It is probable Tony & I will attend one of the meetings – if the Community Council wish to send a letter of support regarding the 5th train suggestion with us we will be happy to take it – if you have not already been approached regarding this matter as a group in your own right?
Look forward to hearing from you whenever convenient
Regards
Sue & Tony Cooke
Penybont Station – The Station Adopters’ story so far….
Having lived in Crossgates for nearly 14 years and as passengers using Penybont station over the years, we have often commented on how sad it was to see the station left in such a neglected state.
By chance an advertisement appeared at the railway station in LLandrindod Wells seeking ‘station adopters’ to apply to ARRIVA Trains Wales under their Adopt a Station scheme. Checking their website revealed that Penybont was still available to adopt – a bit like ‘landing’ on a property on a Monopoly Board!
We completed all the necessary paperwork, and on 14th February 2008 were presented with a plaque (now on display inside the shelter on the platform) and a certificate from ARRIVA Trains Wales to say we were the official adopters for Penybont Station.
The purpose of the Adopt a Station scheme is for local people to act as the eyes & ears for the Station managers, who, these days, are situated great distances from the stations for which they are responsible. Adopters are asked to visit their station at regular intervals to complete a checklist reporting on the condition of the station to the Station manager, any faults discovered and highlight any potentially dangerous situations.
A cleaning team from ARRIVA Trains Wales is responsible for the cleanliness of the station & the emptying of the bins, etc, but Adopters are encouraged to enhance the appearance of the station by returning the gardens to some of its former glory.
The Station Adopters for Penybont are the Cooke family. We are a family of four, but have a lot of assistance from relatives & friends. In return for our labours we receive vouchers for train travel and have the opportunity to attend an annual conference for Station Adopters. We also belong to Heart of Wales Line Travellers’ Association (HOWLTA) which gives support & advice on matters concerning this line.
When we started the project the whole of the garden area was completely overgrown and the large signs on the platform were in a bad state of repair.
Before work started
We have spent 2 years, working in our available spare time, just cutting back the overgrowth, trying to rediscover the original landscaping of the garden. We have uncovered a couple of steps from the platform up onto the garden. The black & white sign on the platform has been restored, and the sign on the disused platform has been taken down for restoration, but the letters from that sign were missing & have to be specially made. We also keeping the timetables & other information sheets up to date and we are working on a small display of information in the shelter about the history of the station with a few photos showing what it was like in its heyday.
Work in progress
Our plans, such as they are, are to keep the weeds & growth to a level that will allow whatever plants that already exist to have a chance to grow – currently daffodils & primroses are responding well - and to plant low maintenance ground cover plants which will hopefully win the battle against the existing ground elder & ivy that have the upper hand at the moment! We also hope to brighten the platform with planters & tubs to add a splash of colour and show passengers that the station is cared for. Further plans are to restore the white picket fence in the car park and to improve the appearance of the car park area.
Hard work, but looking good!
We have requested that the faded ‘Penybont’ signs on the platform are replaced by ARRIVA Trains Wales, and that the shelter is re-painted following the removal of the payphone. We have also requested a ‘finger post’ sign for the station be sited on the main road, but there has been little progress with this.
The good news is that the LLanbadarn Fawr Community Council has provided a small amount of funding that will enable us this year to purchase some plants for pots and planters, together with some perennial plants to fill out the garden area. Many thanks for the support.
We have also had a lot of plants donated from friends, family, work colleagues and local residents all of whom have been extremely supportive. Many thanks to them also.
To help us, any information about how additional funding appropriate to the project can be obtained would be welcomed. Also, any donations of unwanted garden tools and plants would be very helpful to push the project forward.
As a guide, any of the following items in a useable condition made available to us would help enormously:
Garden forks - garden spades - hand trowels - hand forks – secateurs - shears - pruning tools - a wheelbarrow - plastic tubs to carry away garden waste - large pots/planters – brooms - watering cans - a greenhouse –
and a small shed as a lock-up for tools. Finally, surplus bedding plants and perennials that need little attention would all be put to a good use.
Please call Sue or Tony on 01597 851879 if you are able to help in any way