Greater Anglia funds minibus service to connect rail station and wetland centre
Greater Anglia funds minibus service to connect rail station and wetland centre
People can now access Welney Wetland Centre, near Littleport, by public transport thanks to a grant from Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Improvement Fund.
The train operator granted £9,334 to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust for a trial shuttle bus service connecting Welney Wetland Centre and Ely railway station, to help encourage more people to enjoy car-free days out.
The minibus will run on Tuesdays and Saturdays, departing Ely railway station at 11.00 and 12.00, and departing Welney at 14.45 and 15.45.
The bus will run for a trial period from Tuesday 2 September to Saturday 29 November.
The nature reserve is home to 1,000 acres of the northernmost part of the Ouse Washes – Britain’s largest area of seasonally-flooded land, and offers year-round wildlife watching.
Scott Dolling, Partnerships Manager, Greater Anglia, said:
“We are very pleased to support this initiative. Welney Wetland Centre was previously not accessible by public transport, and we hope families and nature enthusiasts take this opportunity to visit this very special place.
“Like the wetland centre, we also aim to minimise our impact on the environment, and this shuttle bus will help to decrease visitors’ carbon footprints.
“We are always looking to enhance the role of the railway in support of the community it serves, and this excellent scheme is a way of supporting further locally focused enhancements in line with community needs. Last year’s projects were a great success, making a difference at a local level right across our network.”
Lizzie Bruce, Site Manager, WWT Welney, said:
“We are delighted to have been granted funding connecting Ely to Welney. This is an opportunity for people who may not have been able to travel to Welney previously, to spend time surrounded by wonderous wetlands.
“Autumn is a fantastic time of year to make a visit, as we begin to welcome back flocks of cranes and wintering wildfowl. The visitor centre, wildlife watching hides and pond dipping stations provide many ways to connect with wetland wildlife and the wider landscape.”
Greater Anglia is funding 28 community projects in the second year of its Customer and Community Improvement Fund initiative.
Grants of up to £50,000 were available, with the train operator pledging a total of £350,000 this financial year, to projects across the Greater Anglia network as part of its ongoing support for communities in East Anglia.
Grants have been awarded to a wide range of projects that benefit both the community and the railway - from small-scale station enhancements to integrated transport projects, and schemes to introduce new or disadvantaged groups to rail travel. Funding has also been awarded to education projects, biodiversity projects, arts and heritage schemes, tourism initiatives, as well as other ideas that help to promote rail services amongst local communities.
