Community Rail Awards 2026: Calderdale train station group shortlisted for national photography competition

Friends of Brighouse Station’s (FOBS) entry – titled Brighouse Busy Lizzies – is one of 12 from around the country which has been shortlisted for the photography category of this year’s Community Rail Awards.

The photo – taken by FOBS chairman Paul Marshall – captures four volunteers working in the station’s Climate Change Garden.

On the group’s entry being shortlisted, Paul said: “We are over the moon that we have been awarded a shortlisting certificate out of the whole country.”

The group has now been invited to the national awards ceremony in Derby, which will take place at the end of March 2026.

The photo is one of 12 entries from across the country, and the public can vote for their favourite one here.

The last date to submit a vote is 5pm on Friday, January 30, 2026.

FOBS formed around 2015 and has about 60 members.

In 2023, the group unveiled its Climate Change Garden, which is a long plant bed at one end of Platform 2.

It is designed to be self-sufficient, and contains bee-attracting lavender, and drought-tolerant plants such as Primula, Phormium, Photinia, and wildflowers.

In 2024 the group was awarded Lead Gold in the It's Your Station category of the Community Rail Awards.

The Community Rail Network supports its members to be “effective in connecting communities with their railways and stations.”

More information about the awards can be found on the Community Rail Network’s website.