Blooming marvellous - Settle-Carlisle railway stations celebrate awards success
Railway stations along the Settle-Carlisle line are celebrating a bumper crop of awards after the hard work of volunteers, station adopters and community groups was recognised in the 2026 Yorkshire in Bloom and Cumbria in Bloom competitions.
And the team at Appleby is already planning new ideas for along the line when the Tour de France visits the region next year.
Despite one of the most challenging gardening summers, with prolonged dry weather making it difficult to keep plants and flowers flourishing, stations along the historic railway have been recognised for their colourful displays, attractive gardens and welcoming environments.
In the Yorkshire in Bloom 2026 Yorkshire Rose Railway Stations and Transport Hubs Awards, Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Settle stations both struck Gold, while Ribblehead Station received a Silver Gilt award.
There was further success across the Cumbrian section of the line in the Cumbria in Bloom RHS It's Your Neighbourhood Awards.
Appleby and Armathwaite Stations achieved the highest accolade, Level 5 – Outstanding, recognising the exceptional efforts of their volunteers. Langwathby Station received Level 4 – Thriving, while Kirkby Stephen, Dent, Lazonby & Kirkoswald and Garsdale stations all achieved Level 3 – Advancing.
The awards are a tribute to the dedication of station adopters, volunteer gardeners and community groups who give their time throughout the year to make the railway's stations attractive and welcoming for passengers, visitors and local communities.
This summer also saw a special community collaboration, supported by funding from Northern and Avanti West Coast, bringing together the Appleby Crafty Women and organisers of the Settle Flowerpot Festival to create imaginative displays on station platforms along the route. Settle Carlisle Railway Development Company and the Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line (FoSCL) worked together to deliver the station displays.
The colourful creations helped bring the railway to life, adding a touch of fun and creativity for passengers travelling along one of Britain's most scenic railway lines.
Karen Morley-Chesworth, Community Rail Officer for the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company, said: "These awards are a fantastic achievement and a wonderful recognition of the dedication of our station adopters, gardeners and community volunteers.
"This summer has been particularly challenging, with the exceptionally dry weather making it difficult to keep everything growing and looking its best. But our volunteers have risen to the challenge and managed to keep our stations looking blooming wonderful.
"We've also seen some brilliant examples of communities coming together. The Crafty Women in Appleby and the organisers of the Settle Flowerpot Festival, supported by funding from Northern and Avanti West Coast, have created fantastic displays on our platforms this summer.
"We are incredibly grateful to every station adopter, gardener and volunteer who has planted, watered, weeded, created displays and cared for our stations throughout the year. These awards belong to them.”
Chair of Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line, Allison Cosgrove said: “We are exceptionally proud of our volunteers who work tirelessly throughout the year to keep our stations looking so beautiful. There have been some wonderful new additions this year including a new raised bed at Dent, new planters at Garsdale and Ribblehead, the wonderful flowerpot sculptures along the line and lots of maintenance work to keep everything tip top, of course not forgetting they battle some of the most extreme weather conditions for gardening as well as pesky rabbits!
“We're always looking for new volunteers to join the Friends so if you would like to get involved, please do get in touch.”
Carolyn Watson, Director of Stakeholder and Community Engagement, said: “The station adopters and volunteers thoroughly deserve this recognition for creating magnificent flower displays and tending to them throughout the year, in challenging conditions.
“We would like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to make stations along the historic Settle-Carlisle Line more colourful and welcoming for our passengers. Their efforts make a real difference.”
Joanna Buckley, Community Manager at Avanti West Coast said: “We’re extremely proud to have contributed towards these projects along the scenic Settle-Carlisle railway, which was used by our Evero Class 805 fleet during a closure of the West Coast Main Line in January and April earlier this year.
"Offering our support to the Appleby Crafty Women and Settle Flowerpot Festival organisers and the colourful displays they've created along the route is an important reminder of how essential rail is for connecting communities."
The Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company hopes the success will inspire more people to get involved in caring for their local stations, whether through gardening, creative projects or supporting existing volunteer groups.
