On Monday 25th February Four senior personnel from Northern Rail visited Glossop Station for a Meet the Directors' session. This had been rescheduled from January. So for two and a half hours starting at 4.00pm Adrian Thompson - Head of Human Resorces, Pete Myers - Head of Service Quality and his deputy Clare Daniels, Paul Daly - Attribution and Resolution Manager met passengers travelling through Glossop Station. Theo McLauchlan, Glossop Line Manager was of course present too. There were lots of comments about rail issues and the Directors were kept busy for the whole session. Friends of Glossop station provided welcome refreshments backstage for the visitors and Bunty Gibson's home made cakes were an instant and welcome hit!! On a cold and raw evening the atmosphere was positive and cheering and the Directors declared that they were pleased with the outcomes. All made extensive written notes and Clare has kindly promised to share their findings with FOGS. Adrian was given a guided tour of the station by Neil and recent improvemnts were pointed out. Adrian was very complimentary about the Station and its facilities. We thank them for their time, good humour and interest. We were also pleased to welcome Joy from Hadfield Friends, Alison and Judith from Dinting Friends to the session and Julian Gallagher from Glossop Police Station. Julian contributes much to the station's safety as do his colleagues from BTP. Comments for the Directors can still be made by picking up a prepaid card from outside the booking office. You can still have your say!!

 Emma Young of Friends of Glossop Station has created an original and attractive new display for the Station's Poetry Platform Display Cabinet. The theme is the Industrial Revolution and Emma has chosen poems by Shelley and Byron as well as John Clifford Clegg's Weighver's Song and Samuel Bamford's The Weaver Boy. Poems such as Song of the Shirt - Thomas Hood, Sewin' Class Song - Samuel Laycock remind us all of Glossop's famous Cotton heritage. Several poems feature local dialect which should appeal to many readers! This rich industrial legacy struck a chord with many in the Opening Ceremony to the 2012 Olympic Games in London last summer. Already Emma's display is deservedly catching the attention of passengers. The Glosp Chronicle's heading about the display was Poetry in Motion - apt indeed! Our thanks as always to David Jones at the Chronicle for his support. Readers looking very closely at Emma's display will notice some very appropriate decorative additions to the poems!! Emma welcomes feedback and suggestions relating to her poems and future themes. Do get in touch!!

 On Monday 11th February Neil met a journalist, Jeff Wood, from Derbyshire Life magazine at the station. Mr Wood is hoping to produce a feature article on Glossop station and its recent awards for the magazine. Neil gave Mr Wood a guided tour of the station with the permission of Theo, Glossop Line Manager. Keith was interviewed on behalf of the staff. Neil also gave Mr Wood copies of recent press articles and photos taken at events. Mr Wood is hoping that the article might appear in the March edition of Derbyshire Life. We thank him for his interest!

  Simon Denvers has now created his fourth plaque for Northern Rail!This one was for Wilmslow Station to mark recent refurbishments carried out by Northern as part of the Station Improvements' scheme. The plaque was unveiled on Friday 8th February at 15.00 by George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr. Osborne is the local MP for Tatton. The plaque looks really good - well done Simon! The plaque's blue opening curtain had been made by FOGS' Lesley Nixon who was amused at its new celebrity status! Lesley's curtain has now been used at ceremonies at Buxton, Wigan and Wilmslow. To follow the Simon Denvers' plaque trail you need to visit stations at Glossop, Buxton, Wigan and Wilmslow. We are not sure whether Simon is offering a prize for this!! Wilmslow Station looks really good after its refurbishment and Neil, who attended the event with Lesley, congratulated Pam Williams, Line Manager and Mark Barker, Client and Stakeholder Manager on a very well organised event. A band was playing at the front of the station to welcome guests - a nice touch! Mr Osborne seemed genuinely impressed with the work carried out including a renovated porters' trolley a task undertaken by students at Wimslow High School.

 The Northern Rail Directors' Visit to Glossop Station postponed last month because of bad weather, has been rescheduled for Monday 25th February from 16.00 to 18.30. Members of FOGS hope to be at the event too. Everybody is welcome to attend!