Gardening station master honoured

Jun 16 2012

A station master who has manned the ticket office of a train station for almost 20 years has been awarded an MBE for services to the community.

Trevor Francis, 67, also spends up to six hours a day of his spare time maintaining a variety of plants, shrubs and floral displays at Aberdour station in Fife.

His dedication to improving the site's environment has seen awards given for the best station garden and his work also helped Aberdour win the title of best kept village in the Fife Council area for two years running.

The station garden has 20 hanging baskets, seven window boxes and two wheelbarrows with special features such as an alpine garden of conifers and cordyline palms.

The married father of two from nearby Burntisland, whose honour was recommended by the Aberdour community, said: "From day one I took ownership of the station. But it was not just about that. It was about the community, the village life and helping people.

"When told, it was wow. It has fulfilled my life and I cannot thank the community enough.

"It's a lovely role and one I'm not giving up on yet. It's a joy to keep the station well-maintained and to see the pleasure that the displays give."

Steve Montgomery, ScotRail's managing director, said: "Everyone is delighted. The honour is thanks to all Trevor's hard work, is a great example of what can be achieved and just shows how important a role he and the railway plays in the community."