Come rain or shine was the motto of the friends station groups at Glossop, Hadfield, Hattersley and Guide Bridge as they held their Teddy Bears Picnic event at the stations and on the trains yesterday between 10.30 and 13.30. Postman Pat was the undoubted star of the event. He set off accompanied by his loyal companion Barry from Guide Bridge to visit Hattersley where a busy scene awaited. Here Babs had organised a small supervised bouncy castle, various games and a tombola to keep visitors busy. There was between the stations A Hunt the Teddy Bear Trail with some topical names to track down! Thanks to Paul Marsh for organising this. Paul also created the eye catching posters. Also available at all the stations a colouring competition sponsored by Northern with a travel prize available for entrants. FREE TRAIN TRAVEL was kindly offered by Northern to teddies, their owners and accompanying families for the duration of the event and proved very popular. We were delighted that first time travellers used the trains and stations! One such traveller observing the buffer stops at Glossop asked, " How exactly does this train now get to Hadfield?"!! A little local railway geography lesson! The weather fortunately stayed dry throughout the event allowing visitors to move freely. Welcome tables were provided at each station : At Glossop a whole array of soft toys made for a colourful scene whilst at Hadfield Joy was busy with the colouring competition. Guide Bridge offered hot drinks and Glossop free orange drinks supplied with the kind support of TWIG station cafe.
 We estimate that between sixty to seventy families took part and we appreciate their support and enthusiasm! It is fun to be part of this event and see the waves and smiles from the drivers and guards too! Our thanks to them for joining in!
  We would like to thank Becky Styles Community and Sustainability Manager  at Northern for arranging the free travel, the colouring competition and full size promotional posters. After competing in a nearby marathon Becky just managed to catch the last half hour of the event at Glossop. We also appreciated the support and good wishes from our new Northern Line Manager Pam Williams.

Thursday 11th April saw the national launch of ACoRP's new report THE VALUE OF COMMUNITY RAIL. Members of FOGS welcomed Jools Townsend Chief Executive of ACoRP, Nik Schofield Communications and Marketing Manager and Rob Lowson author of the report to the station. With glorious sunshine providing a bright backdrop to the photos Jools, a first time visitor, was then shown around the features of our station  including the new moon themed Poetry Platform display, the Lowestoft commemoration and an explanation of the historic links to the past and the Dukes of Norfolk. Nik had a similar tour earlier in the afternoon.
The report, commissioned by ACoRP in response to the Department for Transport's new Community Rail Strategy, shows the economic, social and environmental qualities of community rail with extensive evidence collated by Rob from rail volunteer groups and community rail partnerships across the UK. Headlines include over 8,500 community rail volunteers giving 390,000 hours annually to their stations and local lines with an economic value of £5.6M. Between 2017 and 2018 passenger numbers on lines with community rail partnerships increased by 42% compared to a 35% rise on those without partnerships. This excellent report should prove invaluable to all those involved in community rail! An online copy can be downloaded here by using this link. Hard copies will be available from ACoRP's Huddersfield HQ after Easter - contact Rob Lowson.
Our thanks to Mike and his Staff at TWIG Station cafe for their attentive hospitality and to Nik and Rob for providing refreshments for FOGS. A big thank you also to our guests Jools, Nik and Rob - a most enjoyable occasion! We wish the report every success.

PHASE TWO of the historical sign boards project is nearing completion. Boards have been prepared for Ashburys, Gorton, Fairfield and Hattersley. Much work has gone into the creation of the contents by Paul Abell (Ashburys and Gorton), Jeroen Blom (Fairfield) and Babs Allen (Hattersley). Neil Williams has provided additional advice. We thank Anne Michaelides at naturedesignsign for her patience during checking processes and for producing four excellent designs! Paul Abell's editorial skills have also been much appreciated. Peter Longden interim Glossop Line Manager for Northern has viewed possible sites for the boards. This was followed up by a visit on Friday 22nd February by those involved led by Steve Forde Community Rail Officer for SEMCRP -the organisation funding these boards. Steve has been a staunch supporter of this project and his report on locations has now been submitted to Northern for final approval. So we look forward to seeing these new boards in situ to complement those at Glossop, Hadfield and Dinting. There will be a formal launch of these boards in the near future and we will publicise this date when known.

We are delighted to pass on the news that our regular gating staff: Alan, Tom, Rizwan, Hamza, Daniel and William have recently received a national Superstar Award from their company for the quality of their work at Glossop Station. We offer our congratulations on this well deserved recognition. The team contribute much to the ambience of the station as they meet and greet travellers on a daily basis. We also very much appreciate their ongoing support for the work and projects that we do at the station.

FORTY THREE reception children, their class teachers, class assistants, parent helpers from The Duke of Norfolk Primary School took a  trip on the 10.01 Glossop to Hadfield train and back this morning.
The trip proved quite an adventure for the children! The weather forecast was for high winds and rain but, fortunately, conditions were much calmer as the party left the school to weave through neighbouring streets to reach the station. Much excitement and waving at the driver as the train pulled in. Then it was all aboard!
Local landmarks were picked out en route and at Hadfield the children swopped seats to see the views on the other side. For many of the children this was their first ride on a train and it was a pleasure to share their excitement! The friendly guard chatted to the children and back at Glossop he arranged with the driver to sound a two tone horn loudly as the train left the platform. This resulted in a big cheer and a lot of happy children! The gating staff, Tom and Daniel, kindly gave out souvenir tickets for the children to take back to school and home. A really good trip!
We would like to thank Rebecca Styles, Northern's new Community and Sustainability Manager, for organising the free travel and conveying the arrangements so effectively. Also the teachers, led by Mrs Clarke, for letting us be part of the fun at school and on the train and, of course, the driver and guard for happily entering into the spirit of the occasion. True Northern ambassadors!
If any other local school would like a similar trip then do get in touch.

               We wish you a very happy and healthy New Year!

At the start of 2019 we are pleased to welcome a new artist, Chris Taylor, to the Station's Waiting Room Art Gallery. A graduate of Birmingham and then Liverpool Schools of Art, Chris worked in Animation as a career for forty years on a range of cartoon and puppet films for the BBC, ITV and other companies.
On retirement Chris, who now lives in Glossop, returned to his first love calligraphy and lettering which he produces from his Meadow Hill Studio in Stockport.
His subject matter includes images of wildlife as well as calligraphy collages frequently using bamboo pens and brushes in his work.
Chris has exhibited in various venues across the High Peak including Hayfield, New Mills and Buxton Art Gallery. He has also exhibited in Stockport Art Gallery and Museum. His work can now be viewed daily during booking office opening hours at Glossop Station and may be purchased. Contact Chris on 01457 857315.

We were delighted to welcome David Brown, Managing Director of Northern to our Santa event at the station on Saturday. David was kindly fulfilling a commitment made in 2017 to switch on our Christmas tree lights. He proved to be a most amenable and pleasant guest engaging in conversation with staff, FOGS and visitors. When switching on the lights remotely using Eric Pass' special gadget, David had everyone smiling when in his speech he said that having control of a "remote" was sometimes a rare experience! We very much enjoyed having David as a guest and we thank him for this visit!
Around 45 families visited Santa in the Waiting Room where every child had a chat and, of course, a photo! Santa then gave every child a small free gift. As always being in Santa's presence meant a sampling of the special magic of Christmas!
Making a welcome return to the Christmas event was Glossop Model Railway Society under the direction of Martin and Mike. Their seasonal interactive layout proved a hit! Nearby Andrea and Barbara were kept busy as they helped children to create decorations for the tree on the craft table. The lovely tree kindly supplied by Glossop Garden Centre now looks a treat! The music was once again provided by SPINDRIFT and they had everyone's feet tapping. Our sincere thanks to Alison, Peter and Peter. Joining in the fun as guests were Andrew Walker, Partnership Officer for the High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership, his wife Linda and their grandchildren. Their ongoing staunch support is much appreciated.
Also joining us for the event was Simon Brooks, Glossop Line's Northern Manager, looking suitably festive! We would like to say a big thank you to Simon for his advice and support in organising this event during the ongoing industrial action and for all his help on the day.

Our sincere thanks of course to everyone who came on the day in awful weather to support us!

Special thanks in conclusion to Mike at TWIG station cafe for time and technical assistance generously given earlier in the week! To the staff in the booking office and on duty at the gates: our appreciation for their help and patience. To Paul and Jo thanks for help with publicity with excellent posters and social media updates

From all of us at FOGS to all of you - a very HAPPY CHRISTMAS!