Prestonpans Railway Station has scooped a national prize after its murals were recognised at ScotRail’s annual community awards.
The eye-catching artworks were installed earlier this year and depicts scenes that give a flavour of the town’s history and heritage.
The murals project was headed up by East Lothian Community Rail Partnership (ELCRP) and claimed the Community Project of the Year award at a ceremony at the Grand Central Hotel in Glasgow.
Awards were presented to volunteers across Scotland’s railway.
READ MORE: Launch of new murals at Prestonpans Railway Station celebrated
The station previously was home to a variety of paintings on its south-facing wall, but these became damaged by weathering over time.
The originals were then donated to Preston Lodge High School and new works were commissioned by the group, with funding from rail operator CrossCountry.
The murals depict four scenes with connections to the area: the Mallard train, a Wiles Motor Services bus, the Tranent to Cockenzie Waggonway, and Prestongrange Museum.
Prestonpans is regarded as Scotland’s mural town, hosting more than 40 of the artworks.
Harry Barker, chair of ELCRP, shared his pride that the hard work put into the murals was being recognised at a national level.
He said: “Prestonpans has got a very rich history which I think is worthy of being depicted in the station – it’s obviously Scotland’s mural town.
READ MORE: Prestonpans: New murals bring life to railway station
“We used local artists to do the whole thing, including Tom Ewing, who is the curator of the various murals.
“The subjects we chose were deliberately avoiding the other subjects that are already there, like the Battle of Prestonpans.
“So I think it is quite important that it is recognised – the railway wants to be part of the community and this is one of the ways of doing it.”
The project will now go forward to the UK awards, run by Community Rail Network, in Swansea next March.
James Ledgerwood, ScotRail head of economic and community development, said: “The ScotRail in the Community Awards is an important date in our calendar. It’s an opportunity for us to showcase the fantastic work of our volunteers.
“I’d like to congratulate our winners, those highly commended, and all the nominees, but also to thank all our volunteers for their hard work and contribution. Their efforts benefit more than Scotland’s railway – it extends to the wider local community as well. Supporting our local communities and their projects is incredibly important, and these awards allow us to celebrate our volunteers and the work they do to support ScotRail in delivering services that go way beyond the railway.”
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