Friends of Solihull station
Friends of Solihull station
The Friends of Solihull Station, a new community group, was set up September 2016 with the aim of working alongside Chiltern Railways, Network Rail and Solihull Council in a bid to improve the station and surrounding areas.
A team of ten came together after the Council distributed leaflets to see if Silhillians were interested in forming a Friends Group for the station.
Work for the group started straight away, initially litter picking the area. The station is used by 1.5 million people each year and litter is a real problem. The group wanted to improve this aspect of station life.
They hold regular group meetings, every 6-8 weeks.
Some of their notable achievements are:
The group initially purchased 4 planters; these were painted, filled, planted and maintained by The Friends, helping to enhance the appearance of the platforms. They have since purchased a further 2 on the platforms and 2 for outside the main entrance.
They have received support from Waitrose, Tesco’s, Solihull School, W.I. SMBC Chiltern and ACoRP.
Members of the FOSS were involved in the planning of Town Centre Approach, they actively lobbied for better disabled and frail persons access and the re-positioning of new and refurbished street furniture.
They received a Civic Honours Award for their Community Involvement, a real achievement for the group.
FOSS installed 2 notice boards and built a book case to launch a ‘book exchange’ in the waiting room to enhance the passenger’s experience when visiting Solihull station. This has proved very successful.
FOSS members, along with Councilor Wasma Qais, painted the railway bridge on Streetsbrook Road.
Litter picks in and around the station take place on a Sunday morning, every 2 weeks. Since the group started over 500 bags have been collected by FOSS members.
FOSS got involved with the #800actsofkindness project, kindness cards and a collection box can be found in the waiting room.
You can find FOSS on Facebook and Twitter or you can contact them using the details below
In a bid to boost the profile of the group they launched a competition across the borough schools and colleges for people aged 19 years of age or under to design a Friends of Solihull Station Logo.
