Station is home from home

Bexhill has achieved "the highest accolade" by winning the National Rail Award for best small station.

The announcement came at a prestigious ceremony held at the Grosvenor Hotel in London and attended by 1,200 guests.

Southern had its best ever result by being the first train operator to scoop four awards at one event, and by winning not one but two station award categories - Eastbourne won the category of medium station of the year.

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Wendy Renshaw of Bexhill station ticket office was there to collect the award from Michael Portillo.

She commented: "We are on such a high at the moment. We can't believe it. First they called out Eastbourne, and then they said that Bexhill had won...we couldn't believe it. We are just amazed, over the moon - it's unbelieveable. I texted all the other members of staff at 2.30am to tell them about it.

"We do feel so proud, all of us."

Wendy has worked at the station for five years, alongside Simon Hargraves and Jayne Dorrell, and platform staff Duncan Wise and Sam Arfaoui.

She said the station was judged at different times throughout the year and assessed on criteria such as customer service, customer satisfaction, how the station relects the character of a grade two listed building, ambience, and of course the added bonus of having an onsite pharmacy.

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The judges were impressed by the old-world charm of the station, and said: "The waiting room is uncannily like your lounge at home! The staff were courteous, on the ball, and the overall ambience made you feel that the customers were the priority."

Wendy said: "Quite often all you hear about the trains and railways when people are complaining about things going wrong...we thought - wouldn't it be nice to have something good to tell? So now we have, and we are going to put the award in a glass cabinet in the waiting room for everyone to see."

The other two awards won by Southern were for Innovation, and Putting Passengers First.

Managing Director Chris Burchell said: "I am delighted that we have been recognised so comprehensively for our achievements this year."