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| Monkton Elm puts station on fast track to success VOLUNTEERS at Bishops Lydeard Railway Station near Taunton are ‘steaming ahead’ in their efforts to achieve floral competition success this summer (2008) thanks to a £150 donation from a garden centre in Somerset. Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre in Monkton Heathfield near Taunton donated the money to the village railway station, which is part of West Somerset Railway, to help pay for floral displays and flower beds. Ian Aldridge, the Volunteer Co-ordinator and Deputy Head Gardener for West Somerset Railway at Bishops Lydeard, said: “The donation from Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre is greatly appreciated. “All the gardening work at Bishops Lydeard Railway Station is done by volunteers. This year we are entering our floral displays in the ‘Taunton in Bloom’ Competition and the Best Station Competition organised by West Somerset Railway.  “We have won several prizes during the past few years in the ‘Taunton in Bloom’ Competition. Some of the garden centre’s donation will be used to fund the work on the flower beds at Taunton Station.” Joining Ian in organising the work on the floral displays at the railway station is Clive Goddard, Head Gardener at Bishops Lydeard Railway Station. Clive is pleased to be working in partnership with Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre because his father Lionel worked at Monkton Elm when it was a market garden in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Clive said: “Monkton Elm’s donation will help us try to keep hold of the Best Floral Display award we won in last year’s West Somerset Railway Station Competition. “We will have to fight hard in this year’s competition because all the other stations are trying to beat us. We have a big reputation to live up to. Last year we also came runner-up in the Public Access Area section of the ‘Taunton in Bloom’ Competition.” West Somerset Railway is regarded as one of Britain’s best and longest heritage railways with steam trains travelling along the rail network between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead. It was a country branch of the former Great Western Railway. Andrew Pitman, Plant Manager at Monkton Elm Garden & Pet Centre, said: “We are delighted to help Ian, Clive and their helpers at Bishops Lydeard Railway Station create stunning floral displays on the station platforms. “They work very hard to make the railway station a welcoming place for passengers using the West Somerset Railway.” Bishops Lydeard Railway Station is taking part in Bishops Lydeard’s Open Garden Days on Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8. The gardens are open from 11am to 5pm on both days. |