November 2024

Our Macmillan Day was a tremendous success raising £530.50 for this wonderful cause. Friend Terry Rourke made an amazing £287 from his 'Save the Date' raffle due to much hard work and persuading people to part from their hard-earned cash. Thank you all for your generosity.

Last month we received our second level 5 'outstanding' award for the RHS 'Its Your Neighbourhood' awards - Dot & Dave collected the certificate - pictured right - huge thanks go once again to Noel Henry the architect and main landscaper. He now also looks after Denton platform since the group have suspended activities.

An article appeared in the Daily Telegraph recently regarding the footfall at Denton station - we reported on this in our latest newsletter- see the campaign page for the article.

Our long-awaited celebration of 175 years of the Reddish South & Denton line will take place next month, and, as part of the Rail 200 celebrations in 2025 the Breakfast Folk Train Special is back next year. See Dates for your Diary.

Some of the 'customers' who attended Macmillan Day, including the Mayor, Suzanne Wyatt, Nav Mishra MP, and our local councillors

August 2024

The Retrorail trip to Edinburgh arriving at Reddish South Station. It was a super day out, even though Edinburgh was packed solid! picture by Noel Henry.

July 2024

FORSS Committee meet with our prospective new MP

We invited our prospective new MP, Navendu Mishra, to meet the committee the week before the election.

Due to boundary changes,  we are losing Andrew Gwynne as our MP (although he will still be representing Denton we hope) and Nav was the sitting Stockport MP until the election was called 6 weeks ago.

He has an active interest in trains and railways, and from the chat we had, he certainly knows his stuff! It was a pleasure to meet him and we look forward to seeing him if he is re-elected, when he will take up our campaign, and together with Andrew see how it can be taken forward.

Metrolink to Stockport is looking likely to get the go-ahead according to our local press, so with practically the identical business case (and of course ours has been going much longer) and without the up-to £1 billion price tag, we will be demanding equal support.

pictured from left:

Navendu Mishra, Friend Dave, Sarah owner of Sykes Cafe (where we meet each week), Friends Alan, Tom, Dot & Noel

May 2024

Election Day Tai Chi

Election Day brings the closure of some schools and community facilities. Once again the station platform substituted for the local Tai Chi class in Reddish.

Its becoming quite a tradition!

It is possible that the train driver didn't believe his eyes!!

photo courtesy of Noel Henry

May 2024

May the FORSS be with you!

May 4th is known globally as Star Wars Day, but it is also FORSS Day for reasons not dissimilar! So Happy FORSS Day on Saturday!

After a quiet time on the news front - Our event to celebrate 175 years of the line through Reddish South & Denton Stations will take place in August.

We are delighted to be collaborating with the students and Art Department at Reddish Vale High School, for an artwork to be unveiled on the station platform.

Please see the dates for your diary page for details.

The station platform in its former glory circa 1967

Friends of Brinnington Station winning Northern Rail  sponsored 'Best Staffed Station' Award

Special guest Professor Paul Salveson

March 2024

Cheshire's Best Kept Stations

21st Birthday Awards

We were delighted to be invited to the 21st Birthday of Cheshire’s Best Kept Stations (CBKS) on 12th March as it is unique, and therefore a pioneer, among the English counties to have such an awards system for voluntary groups that contribute so much towards the environment of railway stations and their surroundings.

We were surprised to recognize scriptwriter Sir Phil Redmond in attendance, who seemed to enjoy the proceedings in company with his wife, Alexis, Lady Redmond, the Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire.

Special guest Professor Paul Salveson said he was appreciative of the fact that the awards included the ‘old’ Cheshire county (including Reddish) before the inauguration of the County of Greater Manchester, and hoped that his home county of Lancashire could follow suit in the not-to-distant future.

Mark Barker announced the awards as ever, and we were pleased to see a number of Stockport recipients. 

It was particularly gratifying to see a recently formed Friends group from Brinnington do so well as the ‘Northern Best Staffed Station’, improving a neglected and vandalized site, with staff on the station introducing a ‘swopshop’ for residents in recognition of the straightened times we live in.

The King’s Coronation Award went to Romiley Station, and the In Bloom Award went to Rose Hill Station in Marple.

The TfGM Award seems to belong to Heaton Chapel Station as they won it again this year!

A commemorative booklet had been written in celebration of the 21st Anniversary which includes a feature about the Friends of Reddish South Station.