Bushey and Carpenders Park stations must look to their laurels. Both these stations have done well in the past in the “Cleanest Station” and “Gayest Garden” contests run by London Midland Region of British Railways.

It’s competition time again and there are 1,193 entries for the cleanest station competition and 751 for the “gayest garden”.

Each station will be visited during the competition by the District Superintendent and marks awarded. There will be cash prizes for the best gardens and certificates for the cleanest stations.

Not only the staff take an interest in these contests. At Bushey, it has not been uncommon for a sober-suited business man, dashing for the 8.15, to hand the Stationmaster a bag of seedlings on his way to the office.

[From the Watford Observer of April 20, 1956]

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