“Since it was formed in 2003, Kent CRP has grown from an initial five stations to a remarkable 31 across three lines – Swale Rail, Medway Valley and Kent Downs.

The partnership has delivered a vast range of projects over the past 22 years, from social inclusion and youth engagement to integrated travel and the redevelopment of station buildings. These include:

• Collaborating with Guide Dogs Maidstone for ‘Paws on the Platform’, an initiative that brought people with visual impairments together to share their experiences of accessing rail services and to discuss the ways in which challenges can be overcome;
• Empowering students with additional needs from Five Acre Wood Special School to adopt Snodland Station, improving the station
  environment through biodiversity and gardening projects, as well as vibrant artwork;
• Transforming Hollingbourne Station into a thriving community hub, winning third place in ‘Most Enhanced Railway Spaces’ at last year’s awards;
• Improving signposting for onward public transport from Medway stations and access for cyclists at stations on the Kent Downs Line;
• Partnered with Favesham Festival of Transport, Maidstone CycleFest and other local organisations to engage with the public about rail safety, days out by rail and volunteering opportunities;
• Supporting the growing network of station adopters along the three lines, including at Queenborough and West Malling;

We are delighted to present this award for outstanding contribution to community rail to Kent CRP – a partnership that continues to thrive year after year, meeting the needs of the wider community, and delivering incredible benefits on behalf of the community rail movement.”