Castleton Railway Station Planters and Schools Programme

Castleton Railway Station Planters and Schools Programme

First established in 2010, the Castleton Railway Station planters continue to be expanded and maintained by schoolchildren from five local primary schools, who actively design, plant and care for the floral displays.

Supported by the In Bloom team and Bowlee Garden Centre, and sponsored by Northern Rail, pupils from Matthew Moss, St Edward’s, St Gabriel’s, Castleton and St John’s schools have seen the project go from strength to strength. The work is further supported by the Friends of Castleton Station and Rochdale’s Mayor, who regularly attend and encourage the station planting initiatives.

Environmental and eco-focused work linked to the project has led to all of the village’s primary schools now running thriving gardening clubs and forest school activities. Three schools also took part in a joint initiative with the Canal and River Trust, which funded several months of collaborative work. The project, Tales from the Towpath, formed part of a national British Waterways awards entry, with the group reaching finalist status.

St Edward’s Primary School, home to the largest polytunnel in any Rochdale school, is now supporting innovative aquatic plant conservation work, further strengthening the environmental impact of the programme.