Young people helping to regenerate an area of Raynes Park train station have unearthed debris dating from the 1920s.

Dedicated workers from the Merton Youth Offending services and Kids Company teamed up with New Leaf, a London outreach group to clear land next to Raynes Park station.

It took ten days of clearing, soil shifting, terrace construction, seeding and planting to transform the north side of the station.

Broken bottles, glass and packaging more than 80 years old was removed from the site and eleven tonnes of soil was brought in to fill the area in preparation for the building of planting terraces.

Spring flowers including bluebells and winter aconites have been planted, alongside around 50 shrubs that New Leaf said require little maintenance but will improve the look of the station.

Vinnie O’Connell, founder of New Leaf, said: "We found rubbish and packaging from the 1920s and so many broken bottles and glass, we cleared enough bottles for us to have a party."

Bird boxes were put into trees and an insect habitat was installed, made out of railway memorabilia, to encourage wildlife to thrive in the improved space.

To celebrate the revamp, an event attended by MP Stephen Hammond was held on Friday, February 28 for all those who were involved in the project to see the improvements they helped to put in place.


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