Greater Anglia backs station wildlife project near RSPB Lakenheath-Fen

Passengers using Greater Anglia’s Thetford and Lakenheath stations are set to gain a closer insight into the wildlife around them, after the operator awarded £4,500 to support a new biodiversity-focused project.

The funding, provided through Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund, will pay for a series of wildlife interpretation panels at both stations. These displays are designed to help travellers identify plants and animals living in the station gardens, while also drawing attention to the nearby RSPB Lakenheath-Fen nature reserve and encouraging visits by train.

Both stations already feature established wildlife gardens created and maintained by volunteer station adopters. The gardens have become havens for insects, birds and other species throughout the year, transforming the platforms into unexpected pockets of biodiversity.

The new panels will allow those efforts to be shared more widely, giving passengers of all ages the chance to learn about local wildlife while waiting for their train.

The project will introduce two themed installations across Thetford and Lakenheath. One, titled ‘Trains, Cranes; No Automobiles’, will use panels and posters to promote sustainable travel to RSPB Lakenheath-Fen by rail. At Thetford, two of the panels will also showcase photographs of local landmarks taken by photographers from the area.

A second installation, ‘Entomologists in Waiting’, will focus on insects. Identification charts will be displayed in the waiting room on platform 2 at Thetford, turning the space into a small “Entomology Department” and encouraging passengers to observe the insects attracted to the station garden.

Greater Anglia’s Partnerships Manager, Scott Dolling, said:

“We are pleased to support this initiative, which helps to highlight rail’s environmental credentials and the excellent work of the station adopters in creating an oasis for wildlife at both stations. We are always looking to enhance the role of the railway in support of the community it serves, and our Customer and Community Improvement Fund is a way of supporting further locally focused enhancements in line with community needs.”

Image: Greater Anglia