Fortunately the forecast rain held off and around fifty to sixty teddies accompanied by children and families moved between Glossop, Hadfield, Hattersley and Guide Bridge for The Teddy Bears Picnic Event 2017 (organised and coordinated by the friends' groups at the four stations) for around three hours on Saturday. Free train travel had kindly been arranged by Northern and it was good to see a number of first time users on the trains!
The main picnic this year was at Hattersley. Here Babs and team had set up a tombola, a barbecue and a very popular "Frozen" themed bouncy castle. At Guide Bridge, Andy, Colin and helpers had the star attraction of Postman Pat and van. And some live music too! Postman Pat gave many a cheery wave to children. And to passing drivers and passengers of express trains passing through the station who no doubt looked surprised at an eight foot Postman Pat standing on the platform! Over at Hadfield and Glossop, teddy tagging was in full swing as the new Hunt the Teddy Trail was launched encouraging children to seek out hidden teddy bear pictures - two safely placed at each station. This certainly got the children travelling up and down the line! Where were Bernie and Babs?!! Roland and Winnie?!!
We appreciated the many favourable comments about the event and the cheery nature of guards and drivers who certainly entered the spirit of the occasion. Our thanks to Simon Brooks our Northern Line Manager for his interest and support and our station staff. Thanks also to Vicky Cropper, Community and Sustainability Manager Northern (Central), for inventing a colouring competition to go with the event.
A lot of fun was had by all and we hope our teddies and families will be back soon on our trains and stations!

 Our renowned Teddy Bears Picnic Event is back! This Saturday 24th June between 10.15am and 1.30 pm at Glossop, Hadfield, Hattersley and Guide Bridge stations on the Glossop Line.

 The main picnic is at Hattersley station with music, refreshments and a tombola. The other stations will feature a Welcome Table and a Hunt the Teddy Bear Trail - find 8 named bears in total, 2 at each station!

 FREE TRAIN TRAVEL, kindly provided by Northern is available for travelling teddies and their families for the duration of the picnic. Please note however that this free train travel offer does not apply to or from intermediate stations. All teddies are kindly requested to return to their home stations by 2pm.

 So come and join in the fun!!

 Our thanks to Simon Brooks, Line Manager Northern and Vicky Cropper Community and Sustainability Manager at Northern for their support of this event.

SEVENTY SEVEN years to the day the Friends of Glossop Station and guests welcomed former child evacuees from Lowestoft and those living in Glossop to a celebration marking their arrival in the town all those years ago.
On June 2nd 1940 600 child evacuees from Lowestoft arrived with 30 teachers as part of a wider war time evacuation from East Coast towns. All the children were found homes in Glossop and district. A remarkable achievement! Life long friendships developed between  many children and their foster families and for many evacuees the time spent in Glossop shaped the course of their future lives. On discovering that, through the work of the Lowestoft Evacuation Committee, the evacuees make an annual trip to Glossop FOGS decided to create a plaque for the station as a focal point for this significant event in the town's history and to host an event celebrating this.
Read more about the event and view pictures click the link for the dedicated page "The Lowestoft Evacuation"

CLICK on the image (left) to view The Poetry Platform display at Glossop Station remembering "Lowestoft to Glossop - a journey of evacuation, 2nd June 1940"