FATHER CHRISTMAS paid his annual visit to Glossop Station on Saturday and a very happy occasion it was too! Because of the new ticket gates a lot of thought had gone into a revised approach and layout the main objective being to avoid a large queuing crowd. So this year Santa was in residence for an hour and a half in the Waiting Room to greet children and their families. Around fifty to sixty families came during this period to see him and receive a small free gift. It worked well. Travellers moved through the gates to and from trains enjoying en route the sounds of SPINDRIFT'S lovely music and enjoying the spectacle of Santa!
The station looked its festive best helping to contribute to the happy mood. Our thanks to Laura and Thea for manning the tree decoration stall which was kept very busy. The tree looked really good and we must thank GLOSSOP GARDEN CENTRE for their generous donation of the tree and an extra set of lights. Special thanks to our guest, Mrs Linda Walker, who switched on our tree lights. Linda was accompanied by her husband Andrew, Rail Officer for the High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership and their grandchildren. It was really nice to welcome them back! Simon Brooks, our Northern line manager, was there throughout helping in many ways and joining in the fun. With the revised layout it was really useful having Simon there. He has said that the popular model railway stand can return next year as there is space. Good news for its many fans!
We would also like to thank Vicky Cropper Community and Sustainability Manager at Northern for her keen support and help. To the gating staff at Glossop our appreciation for their enthusiasm and assistance and to the booking office staff, their patience.
The Glossop Chronicle and High Peak Radio promoted the event in advance. Our thanks. And to Pete Gaskell, Simon Denvers, Jo Meek and Paul Marsh sincere thanks for ensuring advance publicity was spread on social media.
And to Father Christmas himself who was cheerily waved off back to Lapland on the 13.07 train from Glossop - heartfelt thanks for finding the time to visit! This year Neil got him on the right train home!!

We are pleased to announce that our popular Christmas event at Glossop Station will take place on Saturday 2nd December between 11.30 am and 1.15. Following the installation of ticket gates at the station this summer we are having to make some changes to the way we run this event. It will not be possible, as in previous years, to greet Father Christmas as he arrives by train from Lapland. However Santa will be in residence in the station waiting room from 11.30 to 1pm ready to greet every child with his or her family. Every child will be given a free gift and the chance to speak to Santa! It will be possible to wave Santa off on his train back to Lapland at 13.08. So a goodbye wave this year rather than a hello one!!

There will also be an opportunity to make a Christmas Tree decoration again for the station's tree kindly donated by Glossop Garden Centre. The station will be decorated in readiness for Christmas by Bunty Gibson, Chris Harris and their team.

Music will be provided by the popular Folk Group SPINDRIFT making a very welcome return to the station.

The Christmas tree light switch on will be by Mrs Linda Walker, wife of Andrew, Rail Partnership Officer for the High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership. Linda is a staunch supporter of our Christmas event and we are delighted she will switch on our lights this year!
 
Our thanks to Simon Brooks our Northern Line manager for his help in organising this event and, at Northern Square One HQ, to Vicky Cropper and Liam Sumpter for invaluable help and assistance.
 
We look forward to welcoming you to our 2017 Christmas event at Glossop Station!

  Yesterday we were delighted to welcome David Brown the new Managing Director of Northern to Glossop Station. The visit had been organised by Matt Worman Central Northern's Business Manager as part of David's familiarisation tour of stations and depots in Northern. David was accompanied by Liam Sumpter Regional Director for Northern Central Region (making a welcome return to Glossop station after switching on the Christmas tree lights for us and being our guest last December) and Stuart Holt Traction and Depots Director. On arrival the team spent time with staff and the workings of the new ticket gates. The team then met Mike Ball, proprietor of TWIG Cafe for discussions in the warm and amenable surroundings of the cafe. Later Penny Greenwood and Neil Williams from FOGS joined the group. Neil and Penny outlined FOGS' community activities and other work at the station and showed plans of the current information boards project. It was an excellent opportunity to showcase some of FOGS' work and to thank Northern at the highest level for their ongoing support. Afterwards there was just time for a mini tour and some photographs in front of the Awards' board where Davids' image is resplendent at the top! We enjoyed meeting David and we wish him all the best in his new post. Our thanks to Matt for arranging the visit and inviting us to be part of the visit.
 On the previous day we had a meeting with Vicky Cropper Northern's Community and Sustainability manager, PC Julian Gallagher Derbyshire Police, Andrew Walker Rail Officer for the High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership and Neil Williams from FOGS. Julian  outlined his excellent and pragmatic  ideas for safer travel and use of local stations. Discussions also took place over Dinting station and its use/role particularly when the new Glossopdale School opens next May. It is anticipated that many students will use Dinting Staion to and from Glossop. There was a very useful exchange of ideas/suggestions and Vicky has promised to look into these. Again our thanks to Vicky, Julian and Andrew for their time.

 We were delighted to be awarded a gold certificate of excellence in the 2017 ACoRP Awards' Night held this year in the historic Roundhouse at Derby for our gardens and community work in the "It's Your Station" category. A copy of the certificate and some photos can be viewed at the station in our display board. We had two shortlistings - the other for our Lowestoft evacuee commemoration event was not placed but we remain very proud of this special  event and the wider recognition that it gained with the shortlisting. Our links with Lowestoft will continue!
 Our thanks to the ACoRP team led by Hazel for a splendid evening at Derby and to all the hard work of organising the event. We must thank too Northern for generous hospitality - in particular Carolyn Watson, Lindsay Marshall and Vicky Cropper. Vicky was an excellent host on our table. Penny and Nei shared the table with our good Friends from Buxton, Dave and Sue and from Walkden, Andy and Neil. Buxton also gained a gold certificate and a second placing for their inspired recycled metal statue of Joe who now resides on their platform. Joe has been created from the remains of the former diesel depot at Buxton. Well worth a visit! Thanks too to County and Borough Councillors Jean and George Wharmby for their enthusiastic support and for taking photos of the occasion. George is Chair of the High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership and he was joined by rail officer Andrew Walker. Andrew always gives us staunch support!
 The big overall winners were Hindley and Community Rail projects in Cumbria. Hindley's gardens are thoroughly deserving of acclaim and Sheila Davidson, Secretary of Friends of Hindley station, was named as the Outstanding Volunteer. Our congratulations to Sheila and her team at Hindley!

We are delighted to welcome Tim Isherwood to FOGS' Station Waiting Room Art Gallery. Tim had some work on display in Art in The Window during the summer of 2016.
Tim's exhibition of digital prints represents an ongoing drawing project that explores line and colour through geometric architectural environments. Tim presents local landscape buildings utilising colour, line and texture. We hope you enjoy his perspectives. Digital prints of Tim's work can be obtained directly from him at timisherwood1@gmail.com
The pictures can be seen daily when the booking office at the station is open.

 We are delighted to announce two shortlistings in the 2017 ACoRP Awards. The first is in the category It's Your Station which assesses Community involvement and the station environment. We were awarded a bronze certificate in this category last year.
 The second shortlisting is for our commemorative Lowestoft event held in June. The category is Best Community Engagement. This event brought together former evacuees from Lowestoft and those who remained in Glossop after the end of the Second World War. A plaque was unveiled at the station along with a display. It was a moving occasion and a very different kind of event for us to be involved in. There is a dedicated page on our website where more information can be obtained.
 We thank ACoRP for these shortlistings and also Simon Brooks and Vicky Cropper at Northern for their ongoing support of our projects at Glossop Station.
 The Awards' Night will take place in Derby's historic Roundhouse on Thursday October 5th.

 We are pleased to be taking part in 2017 Art in the Window run by Glossop Arts Project. In a variety of shop windows in Glossop, Hadfield and Charlesworth paintings by local artists are on display. They form a trail. The trail leaflet can be obtained from Twig cafe at the station or Twig cafe Station Road, Hadfield.
 In the Waiting Room Art Gallery the artwork has been  created by Hadfield Coming Together with Glossop Arts Project. The display highlights the waste we as humans create and its effect on the environment. Colourful collages have been created from food wrappers, packets...... to show what we dispose of everyday. These have been made into templates of endangered animals such as dolphins and turtles.
 We hope you enjoy this thought provoking display. Take time to explore the Art Trail too. The paintings will be on display until the end of August.

Northern are proposing to install automatic ticket barriers at Glossop station in the near future.
As the station is a Grade 2 Listed Building planning permission is needed from High Peak Borough Council. The plans can be viewed online on the Council's website until 3rd August. Alternatively the plans may be viewed at The Municipal Buildings Glossop Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm. 
We hope all users of the station will view the plans. Comments may be left online or sent to the Head of Development Services at The Municipal Buildings Glossop SK13 8AF. 
The planning reference number is: HPK/2017/0316
Location: Glossop Railway Station, Norfolk Street Glossop

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.