Birkdale station in Sefton needs your support as it will battle it out for a place in the final to be crowned ‘The UK’s best loved station’ and winner of World Cup of Stations 2023, the competition hosted by the Rail Delivery Group in partnership with the Community Rail Network.
Yesterday Birkdale won the North West Group and has progressed to the semi-finals.
Merseyrail now need your help to get the station through to the overall final tomorrow as we battle the best of Wales, Scotland and the bonus round group in today’s (Thursday 25 May) semi-final.
Birkdale station has made the semi-final thanks to the work it has done with local volunteer groups Birkdale Civic Society and The Station Master’s House.
The two groups, along with Merseyrail, have created a community library with 5000+ books including many large print. The Station Master’s House has three meetings rooms all with internet connected TVs and ethernet ports, and Wi-Fi connectivity throughout. One of the meeting rooms is a computer suite with six high spec PCs free to use for members (and membership is free).
How to vote
If you voted yesterday, you need to vote again today.
You can vote for Birkdale station until midnight tonight (Thursday 25 May). The link on Twitter is https://bit.ly/424M8Yj or on the website here https://bit.ly/3WzKMUb
Your vote could help ensure the station progresses to the final.
The winner will be crowned on Friday 26 May.
Over 100 nominations from across Great Britain were whittled down to 48 by TV presenter Tim Dunn and will compete head-to-head in a public vote.
Community Rail Network host the annual tournament, which was established in 2019, and will this year crown ‘The UK’s Best Loved Station’ and shine a spotlight on the work of dedicated volunteers.
Tim Dunn, TV presenter and shortlist judge, said:
“I had the tricky task of selecting the shortlist of 48 stations – tricky, because it represents the work of 48 groups of chuffing ace volunteers.
“The time, energy and love each group gives is because of a love of our shared railway and their communities too. It might seem bonkers, but this competition showcases the hard work of hundreds countrywide, then amplifies and celebrates all in community rail. Remember: like a football World Cup, the winners each day need more and more support – in every battle, it’s the one with the most votes who wins!”
Judith Hunter, of the Station Master’s House, said:
“Birkdale Station means so much to everyone as it is right in the middle of our beautiful village.
“We feel so privileged to be part of the station, in the Stationmaster’s House. It means we are extremely accessible and we love getting passing footfall for the station popping in.
“Since opening our doors two years ago, we are growing as both a library and a community hub. We now have nearly 1,500 members, over 5,500 books and a wide range of activities and groups, for both adult and children in our community, to take part in.
“We feel intrinsically linked to the railway and are extremely proud to have brought the Stationmaster’s House back to life for the good of the community.”
Don’t forget to vote!
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