Two planters have been delivered to the Friends of Wellington Station, created by construction students at Telford College.

The college were approached to create the planters via a request on a local Wellington-based Facebook group, where students Lucas Davies and Tyler Klimkowski volunteered to undertake the project.

The project, which features wood from delivery pallets and has handles made from copper pipe off cuts, are part of a sustainable initiative by the college to recycle materials destined for waste.

The planters will be displayed on the platform for visitors to see in Spring and will include plaques commemorating the students efforts, engraved by Leslie Gough from The Wellington Cobbler.

Construction student Lucas said: “I really enjoyed building these planters- I liked that the project combined carpentry with painting and decorating.

All the materials used were repurposed from other projects; Instead of throwing away wooden pallets, we reused them to create something that looks good and serves a purpose.”

Tyler, who’s currently studying bricklaying at the college, said: “I really enjoyed building the planters. It feels great to work on a big project that will be part of the community and seen by everyone.

“It’s something new for me, and it feels meaningful knowing we helped out.”

The Friends of Wellington Station are a voluntary group founded in 2019 and are dedicated to improving the station’s environment.

As part of their work, the group converted the former platform 3 space into a secret garden, allowing locals and passengers to enjoy a peaceful break among greenery and wildlife.

The group have also installed information boards and leaflet dispensers with maps and details of local walking and cycling routes, as well as commissioning local artists to create artwork replacing the station’s boarded up windows.

The Friends of Wellington Station gifted the students with Amazon vouchers for their hard work, continuing the group’s efforts to improve the station experience for passengers.  

Kath Howard, member of the Friends of Wellington Station, said: “We’re delighted to have had the help and support of Telford College in constructing beautiful new planters to replace the ones that had reached old age.”

“Working with the college was wonderful. Their team was extremely helpful and patient, and we’re thrilled with the quality of the students’ workmanship.”

Angela Pitchford, construction lecturer at Telford College, said: “This project has given the students a real sense of achievement. They can see something tangible going back into the community, and it’s allowed them to put their woodworking skills into practice.

“It’s helped the community by improving the station and giving something back. When people arrive at Wellington Train Station, they’ll see something attractive and know it was created by our construction students.

“In our construction session, you often build something that eventually gets knocked down for the next class. With this project, they’ve created something that will stay for a long time, which makes it special.”