The Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership is proud to announce that it was successful in the 2026 Community Rail Network Awards, recognising the partnership’s dedication to community engagement, station enhancement, and heritage celebration across the region.
Outstanding Volunteer (Bronze award)
This nomination recognises the exceptional dedication of one of ESSCRP’s volunteers whose passion, creativity, and commitment have made a tangible difference to their station and wider community. David Gibson has been one of our adopters for nearly four years. He is the adopter for Witham, Cressing and Braintree Freeport stations on the Flitch line. He has enhanced these stations with the addition of more gardening space, with a dry garden at Cressing created from scratch, and bee friendly planting at Braintree Freeport. He also helped develop a book chronicling the history of the UK’s railways.
Most Enhanced Railway Station (Bronze award)
This category celebrates significant improvements delivered through collaboration, creativity, and community involvement. The Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership transformed a disused, run-down car park beside Harwich Town Station into an Accessible Community Garden—a vibrant, inclusive space celebrating 200 years of passenger rail and reconnecting the station with its community.
Several other projects were shortlisted. The Railway 200 Legacy Award for an engaging and accessible book chronicling the evolution of passenger rail travel from the inaugural journey on 27th September 1825—from Darlington to Stockton—to the present day. It’s Your Station for Hockley station where the station adopters at Hockley continue to transform their station into a welcoming, vibrant space. This award spotlights their efforts in gardening, art installations, community partnerships, and creating a station that feel like the heart of their town.
A surprise at the end of the evening was Jayne Sumner (Beaulieu Park adopter, but previously Rail Engagement Manager at Essex County Council) who received the Special Recognition award.
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