Forum Volunteers Rebuild Seaside Railway’s ‘Hornby Halt’.

- Mon 17th Mar 2008

By 'Owd Rooter' with photograph by 'Furbag'.

The true community spirit of Hayling Island was shown to the best possible effect on Saturday 15 March, when a team of Island residents, joined the regular volunteers of the Hayling Seaside Railway, to repair the recently vandal damaged ‘Hornby Halt’.

The narrow gauge railway station at the foot of Sea Grove Avenue, had received an unwelcome visit from the ‘boot fairy’ in early December, just as the railway began its annual ‘Santa Special’ Christmas trains. Wooden picket fences and a notice board were torn down, while flower pots lovingly tended by a local volunteer were wantonly hurled from the platform, to be smashed on the track below.

The attack provoked widespread condemnation form the railway’s Island neighbours, outraged that anyone should wish to destroy what they have come to view as ‘their little railway’. None more so than from the contributors to the Hayling Forum, to be found at the Hayling Community Website at hayling.co.uk.

Having already cut their teeth on projects such as the rebuilding of a vandalised sundial and garden bench at an Island primary school, and the creation of a hanging basket floral display in Mengham shopping centre. Members of ‘The Forum’ pledged that the railway’s regular volunteers should not be left to carry the burden of rebuilding alone!

With the cold, wet, stormy months of winter hardly conducive to working on the windswept Beachlands sea front, it was not until mid March that a small group of willing and determined volunteers, set out by special engineers’ train to tackle the job in ernest.

Those with the necessary skills set about reinstating the broken fences and notice board, while others willing to ‘have a go’ set to with paint brushes, to give the station a welcome facelift. Meanwhile others turned Beachlands Station into an impromptu ‘Railway Cafe’, serving bacon and egg butties and delicious home made cake, to railway and Forum volunteers alike.

Despite inclement weather for much of the day the spirits of the team were not to be dampened, and the fruits of their labours are now there for everyone to see and enjoy. Be they railway passengers, seaside residents, dog walkers, local joggers, or car travellers on the adjacent Sea Front Road.

ROOTER.

By forum user, Owd Rooter

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