With its shops, restaurants, bars, sports facilities and access to the spectacular Peak District, Dronfield is a favourite place to live especially for commuters to Sheffield and other large cities.  It is also a place of interest for visitors who come in increasing numbers to view the grand houses once owned by 18th century lead smelters, the medieval St John’s Parish Church and Dronfield Hall Barn dating back to 1430.  In recent years access to and from Dronfield has been made much easier by the work of the Friends of Dronfield Station (FoDS) a voluntary community group dedicated to taking care of our local station and improving train services for the people of Dronfield.  After ten years of campaigning by FoDS we have:
An attractive and welcoming ‘Gateway to Dronfield’
Over 250 trains every week catering for nearly 250,000 people per year.
Better transport links with the country for commuters, business people, shoppers and holiday makers.
A boost to the local economy by enabling more people to visit Dronfield for its shops, restaurants and attractions
A well maintained garden with lawns, flower beds, planters, hanging baskets and the flower filled pit tub
Engagement with the local community with exhibitions of schools’ art in the waiting shelters.
Summer poster exhibitions
An improved environment with more and more people leaving their cars at home and taking the train.
BUT THERE'S LOTS MORE TO DO 
The Northern Rail franchise was taken over by ‘Arriva Trains’ in April 2016.  Arriva has promised to replace the old trains with modern, more comfortable carriages and to provide more frequent services with trains stopping at Dronfield earlier and later in the day. 
Fancy getting involved?  Now is the time to build upon success so far and press for further improvements.  There are loads of opportunities for volunteers with the necessary enthusiasm and skills.  Here’s what we do

Campaigning

The railway industry is a very complicated business which involves logistics, complex timetabling, use of heavy equipment and the spending of vast amounts of money.  A big responsibility of FoDS involves research to determine the demands for rail travel, lobbying decision makers and influencing the bureaucracy to improve the services and facilities at the station.  High on our list of demands are:
  • Hourly trains to Manchester
  • A London train
  • Late night trains from Sheffield
  • CCTV
  • More car parking

Surveys

In order to alert rain companies of the case for more and longer trains we conduct surveys two or three times a year of passenger numbers getting on and off the trains.  These surveys consistently record 10-15% more ‘heads’ than the official figures.
 

Gardening

The station has an award winning garden with lawns, flower beds, planters, hanging baskets and the flower filled pit tub which reminds us of Dronfield’s industrial heritage.  People report that they find using the station a pleasure, but keeping the lawns and beds neat and tidy from March to November is a labour of love for FoDS volunteers.

Maintenance

To keep the station looking spick and span the waiting shelters have to be painted from time to time, the wooden fences and planters have to be repaired and painted.  Even picking up litter helps to make a visit to the station a more pleasurable experience.

The Environment

With 250,000 travelling from Dronfield station every year we can reasonable claim to have taken quite a few cars of the road and contributed to the reduction in greenhouse gases.  The next big challenge is persuade the authorities to extend the car park to enable more people to take the train.
If you have an interest in any of these areas, and have a few hours to spare we would very much welcome you as a member of FoDS.  Even if your time is limited we are still looking for people with an interest in improving the environment and making the station an even more attractive ‘gateway to Dronfield’