Stratford upon Avon
City of Birmingham
Stratford upon Avon
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Friends of the Shakespeare Line – Voluntary Community Station Partnership
Welcome to the Friends of the Shakespeare Line (FoSL), a voluntary Community Station Partnership, a not-for-profit overarching organisation operated by volunteers for volunteers to support their commitment as adopters at their railway station between Birmingham and Stratford upon Avon. We are supported by a number of other organisations and individuals including train operators West Midlands Trains and Chiltern Railways.
“The future of the railways depends on the creation of a new system centred around passengers. Delivering social, economic, and environmental benefits”
Peter Wilkinson
Managing Director of Passenger Services
Department for Transport
This is the website for the first ‘Community Station Partnership’ in the UK
We are a volunteer-led community partnership, investing our time and energies to enhance the twenty-two local stations between Birmingham and Stratford upon Avon.
We aim to help underpin the national efforts to restore confidence in rail and attract visitors to the scenic and fascinating Shakespeare Line.
The Friends of the Shakespeare Line (FoSL) is about delivering public benefit. Our mission is to work with Train Operating Companies and Network Rail and other regional partners to help make our stations more relevant to the locality, more passenger-centric and welcoming to visitors by providing a greater amenity and wellbeing.
Friends of the Shakespeare Line is about delivering Social Value.
We work with and obtain support from regional partners and individuals to enable volunteers (station adopters) to make our railway stations more welcoming to visitors, more relevant to the locality, more engaging for passengers and supportive of the local economy and environment.
Celebrating Our Volunteers: A Memorable Afternoon on the Shakespeare Express
We are thrilled to share with you the latest updates and stories from Friends of the Shakespeare Line. This newsletter comes with a heartfelt thank you to all our volunteers who have shown incredible dedication and commitment throughout the past year. The impact of your hard work is evident in the positive changes and lasting contributions you've made to our Community Rail Partnership, and for that, we are deeply grateful.
To express our appreciation, the Trustees recently organised a special afternoon on the Shakespeare Express steam train, complete with a delightful afternoon tea. This gathering was a small token of our immense gratitude for the countless hours you have devoted to improving and maintaining our stations and services. Your efforts continue to make a significant difference, and we hope this event served as a reminder of how valued you all are within the Friends of the Shakespeare Line community.
Please click on the image to view the newsletter with more details about our afternoon out, or follow the link below to read the news article:
Railway Afternoon Tea Thank You for Volunteers
Friends of the Shakespeare Line - Easter 2024 Update
The update sets out the key activities that have and are taking place along the Shakespeare Line, including the Renovation, Repurposing and Reopening of Henley in Arden Station, several streams of activity with Woodrush Academy at Wythall and other improvements and news from along the line.
Friends of the Shakespeare Line Annual Report 2022
The report sets out the scale and range of activities, from over 10,000 volunteer hours and also records heart-warming comments from the volunteers and an impressive array of endorsements from British Transport Police, Network Rail, West Midlands Railway and West Midlands Rail Executive.
22
Destinations
23
Miles
80
Volunteers
6
Trustees