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.

The restoration of the two old platform trolleys for use by Market Harborough in Bloom has been completed.  Local retired engineer Phil Clark undertook the work, with the timber for the decks generously donated by Glenmere Timber on Gores Lane.  The trolleys are to be installed at the station as part of a decorative planting scheme by Market Harborough in Bloom, who are the 'adopters' of the station.  The aim is to provide a colourful 'Welcome to Market Harborough' feature at this important gateway to the town. 
The exact location for the trolleys is still to be decided, but the hope is to place them near the top of the ramp from the booking office to platform 1, on the site of the 1970s waiting room building once that has been demolished and replaced by new facilities.  Until that is done and the station is ready to receive them, the trolleys are now in secure storage.  The pictures below show the two trolleys in the workshop awaiting transfer to temporary storage, and in the proud possession of Market Harborough in Bloom.  To see the state the trolleys were in prior to restoration, scroll down to the item dated 23/10/2020 below.
​(Photos: Steve Jones)

Before the old platforms at Market Harborough were demolished, two old British Railways platform trolleys served as bases for decorative planting by Market Harborough in Bloom (MHiB, who are the approved 'adopters' of Market Harborough station).  They made an attractive display but disappeared prior to the rebuilding of the station.  However, they were not taken away, but were dumped in the long grass by the access road to the old car park. There they quietly deteriorated.
However, Network Rail kindly agreed that local volunteers from HRU and MHiB could remove them for repair, with a view to reinstatement somewhere on the rebuilt station as a base for a new planting scheme.  The current plan is to place them, once fully restored, on the gravelled area near the steps from the new car park to the southbound platform.  Complete with a floral display, they would add a splash of colour to welcome passengers arriving at the station.
The pictures below show the trolleys on 23rd October 2020, just prior to being removed for repair.