Greater Anglia is appealing to the people of Essex to volunteer as station adopters at their local railway stations, including Elsenham and Stansted Airport, to make them more welcoming.

The Dutch-owned train operator aims to get volunteers, local organisations and councils to bring their ideas to fruition, providing funding to help cover the costs of small projects, tools and materials.

Alan Neville, who runs the initiative, said: “We’d love to see every station on the network adopted.

"It makes a positive difference when the community is actively involved in their local station.

"Improvements are important to local people, and promote civic pride and wellbeing.”

The other Essex stations with vacancies are Chelmsford, Harlow Mill, Harlow Town and Harwich International.

If you want to get involved with the initiative, contact Alan.Neville@GreaterAnglia.co.uk.