Irlam: spokesperson Rogers Jones(counciller)talking about lack of
facilities

Handford:spokesperson Mike Bishop(Frends of Handford station) said what
a wonderfull station they now have

In message , at 
22:56:24 on Tue, 19 Jul 2005, JOHNGREATWESTERN@AOL.COM remarked:

>Irlam: spokesperson Rogers Jones(counciller)talking about lack of
>facilities


Turns out (late in the interview) that he's chair of the Manchester PTE, 
but claims the state of the stations are nothing to do with them - 
although he is looking to get a grant from the PTE to do up his own 
station.

Kerpulnsky winces at the thought of a station without shops. How are we 
going to survive?


>Handford:spokesperson Mike Bishop(Frends of Handford station) said what
>a wonderfull station they now have


Got 5k from the lottery, not clear from the interview if it was a 
grant, or a prize.
-- 
Roland Perry

"Roland Perry"  wrote in message
news:cOOMdWer8e3CFAZ4@donald.internetpolicynews.co.uk...

> In message , at
> 22:56:24 on Tue, 19 Jul 2005, JOHNGREATWESTERN@AOL.COM remarked:
> >Irlam: spokesperson Rogers Jones(counciller)talking about lack of
> >facilities
>
> Turns out (late in the interview) that he's chair of the Manchester PTE,
> but claims the state of the stations are nothing to do with them -
> although he is looking to get a grant from the PTE to do up his own
> station.
>
> Kerpulnsky winces at the thought of a station without shops. How are we
> going to survive?
>
> >Handford:spokesperson Mike Bishop(Frends of Handford station) said what
> >a wonderfull station they now have
>
> Got 5k from the lottery, not clear from the interview if it was a
> grant, or a prize.
> --
> Roland Perry


Having been to Handforth in the past month, and heard Mike Bishop speak i
can confirm its a grant.  And the station offers examples of how an active
local group of people, with the wider community and help from the train
company can make their local station more welcoming.

I think the BBC coverage refers to todays publication by the National Audit
Office on railway stations in the UK; a report i partly contributed to when
surveying Eastbrook Station south of Cardiff.  Havent read the full report
yet.

In message <dbkuhs$t5e$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk>, at 08:30:04 on Wed, 20 
Jul 2005, The Absent Minded Professor 
 remarked:

>I think the BBC coverage refers to todays publication by the National Audit
>Office on railway stations in the UK


Yes, they mentioned that in the introduction.

There were a few strange things said, like the stations which get only 
25 people a day was blamed on them being not sufficiently inviting as 
places, rather than the intrinsic lack of demand (or lack of trains).

Blake Hall on the Ongar line was quite a nice station, iirc, but didn't 
get many passengers, even though it had a very regular service.
-- 
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:


>> Handford:spokesperson Mike Bishop(Frends of Handford station) said what
>> a wonderfull station they now have
> 
> 
> Got 5k from the lottery, not clear from the interview if it was a 
> grant, or a prize.


_Handforth_ ... and Mike Bishop is a retired fellow who's actually
paid a small salary  (by the PTE?) to go round trying to help people set 
up Friends Groups.

So far, some success at Levenshulme - note the horses on the platform,
the trademark flagpoles, the nameboard in Arabic script and in
sign language  ... and dismal failure at Davenport where apathy rules OK 
apparently. Myself, I'm not too keen on flagpoles: a machine gun
emplacement would be more help in keeping the station in good order
IMO.

Charlie

In message <dblh0f$2t9$1@godfrey.mcc.ac.uk>, at 13:44:54 on Wed, 20 Jul 
2005, Charlie Hulme  remarked:

>and Mike Bishop is a retired fellow who's actually
>paid a small salary  (by the PTE?) to go round trying to help people 
>set up Friends Groups.


Incredible, isn't it?

A news story that starts of purporting to show the brave efforts of a 
pair of ordinary commuters to smarten up their local stations turns out 
to be interviewing the chairman of the PTE and one of his [part-time] 
employees!!
-- 
Roland Perry

"The Absent Minded Professor"
 wrote in
message news:dbkuhs$t5e$1@newsg1.svr.pol.co.uk...
<snip>

> Having been to Handforth in the past month, and heard Mike Bishop speak i
> can confirm its a grant.  And the station offers examples of how an active
> local group of people, with the wider community and help from the train
> company can make their local station more welcoming.


Indeed they can.  As has been mentioned here before, a group of volunteers
has been maintaining Acton Bridge Station for some years now, mainly
gardening, but painting and other maintenance are also in hand.  Central
Trains have been generous in provision of tools, materials and safety
training.  Result - a nicer looking station, at little net cost to the TOC,
and runner-up in JPD's Best Kept Station Awards for 2003.

Steve P
Acton Bridge, WCML

Roland Perry wrote:


> In message <dblh0f$2t9$1@godfrey.mcc.ac.uk>, at 13:44:54 on Wed, 20 Jul 
> 2005, Charlie Hulme  remarked:
> 
>> and Mike Bishop is a retired fellow who's actually
>> paid a small salary  (by the PTE?) to go round trying to help people 
>> set up Friends Groups.
> 
> 
> Incredible, isn't it?
> 
> A news story that starts of purporting to show the brave efforts of a 
> pair of ordinary commuters to smarten up their local stations turns out 
> to be interviewing the chairman of the PTE and one of his [part-time] 
> employees!!


To be fair, I believe Mr Bishop _was_ an ordinary commuter when he had 
the idea in the first place.

Charlie