When we installed our ‘Time is Running Out’ sculpture at Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, we never thought that one day it would be welcoming the Rail 200 Inspiration Train!

Yet it seems quite fitting.

When student Madeleine Higgs designed her hourglass sculpture, her message was clear – time is running out to save the bees.

As part of Rail 200, at Clacton, 200 years of the modern railway is being celebrated. But our sculpture also reminds those using the railway to reflect on the fact that in that same timeframe, bee populations, especially wild bees, have faced significant declines, with around 25% fewer species recorded in recent years than prior to 1990.

Here at the Bee Friendly Trust, we are working hard to change that. Over the past 10 years, our railway station projects have proven that the modern railway can be our secret weapon in supporting pollinator populations around the country.

By planting up platforms with pollen-rich flowers, we’ve created an ever-growing network of nature havens where bees, butterflies and myriad wildlife can find food, shelter and safe spaces to reproduce.

A planter on a platform may not sound like much but to bees, it’s a life line.

And your donations and support, make a real difference. Thank you.