First ScotRail is celebrating the first anniversary of its 'Adopt A Station' scheme and looking at what has been achieved within the first year.

The scheme, which was launched a year ago on 15 September at the opening of the Rannoch Heritage Centre, has been heralded a great success by the train operating company and has seen many strong partnerships forged with local community groups and individuals across Scotland.

The idea behind the scheme is to encourage locals to put forward ideas of how to improve the overall environment of a station or a means for utilising an unused building within a station, with the results often producing significant benefits to rail customers as well as residents.

Over the course of the last 12 months, accommodation has been utilised at five stations and includes a coffee shop, a refreshment kiosk, a professional ironing service, a charity bookshop and a reminiscence centre at stations in Uddingston, Kilmarnock, Dunblane, Pitlochry and Renton respectively.

In conjunction with 'in Bloom' community groups and coupled with support funding from First ScotRail, flower tubs, hanging baskets and planters have gone in at over 20 stations across the country, helping to make the environment more attractive as well as encourage wildlife to the area.

John Yellowlees, external relations manager at First ScotRail, said, "We are delighted with the number of stations that have been 'adopted' within the first year of the scheme launching and hope that we will be seeing many more proposals and partnerships come to fruition as it continues. "We have seen some worthwhile facilities arise out of the scheme such as the coffee shop at Uddingston and charity bookshop at Pitlochry and a great number of stations now look far more appealing thanks to the introduction of flowers and plants. We couldn't have asked for more within the first year."

Details of the 'Adopt a Station' Schemes -
Utilisation of station buildings by start up businesses or charitable organisations -
* Pitlochry Charity Bookshop
* Pitlochry - Oziscots
* Uddingston - The Coffee Stop
* Kilmarnock Station Cafe
* Dunblane - the Ironing Station
* Renton Reminisce

Tubs, planters or hanging baskets planted or maintained in partnership with an outside body -
* Largs in Bloom
* Kilwinning Community Council
* Maybole Community Development Trust
* Lanark in Bloom
* Carluke Development Trust
* Uddingston Pride
* North Berwick in Bloom
* Linlithgow Burgh Beautiful
* Queensferry in Bloom (Dalmeny)
* Dunblane in Bloom
* Gleneagles Hotel (with Auchterarder Community Council)
* Dr Bill Marshall at Dunkeld & Birnam
* Pitlochry in Bloom
* Dyce in Bloom
* Inverurie Environmental Improvement Group
* Alness in Bloom
* Tain Initiative
* Arrochar Community Council
* Gerald Rivett and The Old Station Restaurant at Spean Bridge
* Lochaber Horticultural Association at Mallaig