Harborough Rail Users takes part in the Station Adopters for Market Harborough station.  This group is led by Market Harborough in Bloom Volunteers, who maintain award-winning amenity planting around the station, such as the planting boxes on the platforms plus the two restored parcels trolleys and the ‘goods wagons’ near the car park steps.  All of this is done under the auspices of EMR and their Community Engagement Managers provide much help and guidance. 
Our previous Engagement Manager, Alexa Stott, who had given a great deal of assistance and support, recently left EMR.  We wish her well in her new ventures.  Her replacement, Kaye Robinson, visited the station on 28th March and we had a walk-around and discussed numerous ideas.  One of these is the ‘Stationmaster’s Garden’ the rough bit of ground at the foot of the car park access road, next to the car wash.  We are hopeful that access can be granted to enable volunteers to create a small open space or garden at this gateway location for the town.   This follows disappointment at the withdrawal of funding previously earmarked for an improvement scheme for the station forecourt and adjacent grassy bank under the Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund via Harborough District Council.

The hard work done this year by Market Harborough in Bloom Volunteers at the station has paid off with a Judge’s Special Award.  This recognised the ‘difficult conditions’ for such activities at a busy railway station.  As well as maintaining the amenity planting around the town centre, Market Harborough in Bloom are the ‘adopters’ of the station under EMR’s Station Adoption scheme.  They have installed and look after various planting schemes around the station, aimed at softening the rather utilitarian nature of the new platforms and enhancing the station forecourt. 
​We in Harborough Rail Users maintain a close working relationship with Market Harborough in Bloom and warmly congratulate them for the recognition they have achieved.

On Monday 10th July, a working party took place at the station, clearing weeds from the gravel area behind Platform 2 and generally tidying up.  As well as the local station adopters from Market Harborough in Bloom, several colleagues from EMR and the Department for Transport came along to help.  They were on a community support day, and put in a lot of effort to help.
Tuesday 11th July saw the judges from East Midlands in Bloom visit the town, as part of the regional competition.  They had a good look around the station planting.  We now await their verdict!

As a postscript to the item below (10th October 2022), two additional planting boxes in the style of traditional railway wagons have been installed at Market Harborough station.  Standing on their own length of ‘track’, they have been placed on the south side of the car park steps, to complement the two luggage trolleys on the other side.  As with the restored trolleys, they were built by a local retired engineer, using wood generously donated by Harborough firm Glenmere Timber.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) operate a Station Adoption scheme, whereby local individuals and community groups can ‘adopt’ their local station.  The stated aim is ‘to create station environments that our customers and East Midlands Railway can be proud of’.  Though largely aimed at the small unstaffed rural stations, it can apply to any station on the EMR network.  Market Harborough station has been adopted by Market Harborough in Bloom, who maintain the award-winning decorative planting throughout the town centre from their base in Welland Park.
Back in 2021, Market Harborough in Bloom, with the generous help of local people and businesses, restored the two old platform trolleys that used to support planting boxes on the platform at the old station.  These had become totally derelict, having been pushed into the long grass while the platforms were rebuilt.  See here for more on this.
However, on 10th October 2022, they were installed at the station, to the right of the steps on the approach from the main car park and have been planted up with flowers.  Some additional boxes in the style of traditional railway wagons have also been made and these will be placed on the other side of the steps.  The intention is that these, and other planting around the station, will give our station a bit of a ‘lift’ by softening its rather functional appearance at platform level.