Growing success for Lewes railway station volunteer planters

Lewes Pots and Plants volunteers Sarah Boughton and Mary Sautter with the station's luggage trolley

It started with a small-scale project to tidy up some litter-strewn bins and it has blossomed into a station planting scheme that is admired by thousands of people each year.

Anyone who has used or passed through Lewes railway station in the last few years will have noticed the colourful array of plants, trees and shrubs on the platforms and waiting areas.

Passengers and passers-by might be forgiven for thinking the planting at Lewes was the handiwork of a large team of full-time gardeners but instead it is down to the hard work of a small, dedicated group of green-fingered volunteers.

Lead volunteer Mary Sautter first became involved at the station because she already helped the Lewes Little Gardens scheme to tidy small corners of the town.

Lewes Pots and Plants lead volunteer Mary Sautter with a newly installed poster displaying the station gardens

Through town councillors Ruth O’Keefe and Stephen Catlin, the opportunity to adopt planters at the railway station came up and Mary offered to help.

She recalled: “We came to the station and found the bins were full of discarded beer cans and other rubbish. I said we couldn’t plant anything until we had cleared them out and got some compost – otherwise nothing would grow.”

Mary had previous experience as a fundraiser for the Friends of Lewes Victoria Hospital and she put her entrepreneurial spirit to good use.

The group didn’t have any money so she asked companies in the town to contribute to the cost of buying plants and gave them the chance to add their name to the planters with a paid sponsorship.