It is a mild Friday morning in October and although rush hour has been and gone, Maghull railway station is still a hive of activity.

There is a hustle and bustle that you might not expect at a North West station at this period of the year, or indeed any period of the year, for that matter.

But Maghull is not just a couple of dreary platforms where you can make your way from A to B.

In truth, the unassuming Merseyrail station is basking in the afterglow of its win in the 2024 globe Cup of Stations competition – having just been named best in the UK.

And it doesn’t receive too long to work out what impressed the judges at the Railway Delivery throng, organisers of the contest.

When the BBC turned up to discover out just what makes Maghull so special, the first thing we notice is the car park – it is free, and there are plenty of parking spaces, as well as a bus trade service.

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The entrance to the station is through a traditional-style brick building that leads to a ticket office, and, since February, The Coffee Carriage café.

A footbridge takes passengers across to a second platform, which includes a waiting area with an railway-themed stained glass window, donated by a local artist.

Heading in, we immediately bump into 85-year-ancient volunteer Margaret Walton, armed with her trusty litter-picker, plastic bucket and high-vis jacket.

A member from the Maghull Volunteers throng comes every single day – “including Christmas” – to keep things looking spic-and-span, she tells us.

But Margaret’s contribution to station life is evident is far more than the tidy pavements outside.

Intricate murals depicting station life, including the staff working there today, adorn the brick building – are all painted by Margaret in her spare period.

When asked whether she studied art, she quipped: “Oh no, I taught myself – they wouldn’t let me into college because I couldn’t spell.”

Outside the station building are lovingly-maintained planter boxes, a “secret garden”, and quirky sculptures – all the handiwork of Maghull Volunteers and other throng groups.

Chairwoman Doreen Bird, 81, said the throng has been together approximately 20 years after being founded by the late Nigel Winchester and Alan Pritchard.

“I just adore it,” she said, when asked what motivated her to keep Maghull station looking its best.

“It’s amazing really how much people appreciate the station being as attractive as it is.

“What one lady said to me is; ‘it makes me smile every Monday morning when I really don’t desire to leave to work’.

“That’s all it takes, I ponder that’s why we do it.”

And the evidence from our visit backs that up.

As we gossip to the staff there, several passengers stop to propose their congratulations or inquire “did you triumph then?”.

One was Maureen Webb, from Lydiate, who was on her way to Liverpool for a charity bash for the Linda McCartney Centre.

The 81-year-ancient, who still runs her own tailoring business, told the BBC: “It’s tidy, it’s well cared for by the staff and volunteers who do a wonderful job.

“If there was more people like that in the globe we’d be much better off.”

The Gillespie household are recent to the area but have already developed a sense of self-esteem in their local station.

Tom Gillespie, 67, said: “It’s dead amiable, you get off the train and there’s always people pottering around.”

His wife Marie added: “You get off the train and it’s a great little train station. It’s only tiny but it’s attractive.”

One ordinary theme that emerges is how Maghull has evolved into a real centre for throng life.

Undoubtedly, the arrival of the Coffee Carriage in February, one of three station cafes owned by local entrepreneurs Rory McLellan and Craig Reeves, has taken Maghull’s appeal to a recent level.

As well as its traditional purpose, the cafe also hosts everything from “knit and natter” sessions to men’s mental health and cancer charity meet-ups.

A growing number of charities and volunteer organisations use the station as a conference or assembly point, including the Friday Strollers walking throng.

Stroller June Avery told the BBC: “It’s a very welcoming place isn’t it.

“It’s a really throng feel, it’s bringing people together. You get off the train and it really lightens your mood.

“You leave to some stations and you view planter boxes but nobody really looks after them, they’re packed of litter and ciggie stubs.”

Manning the fort in the cafe was barista Liz Roger, who summed up what makes Maghull special.

“I ponder it’s about being part of the throng, she said: “It’s not just saying well we serve coffee and cakes, it’s about everything…

“They arrive to us because they ponder we’re a lovely place to arrive and we adore them coming.”

Taking a seat inside the cosy room, adorned with fairy lights and wooden pallets, as well as pictures of the Maghull railway tracks in all their fame, we catch up with station manager Sonya Hampson, who has managed Maghull and eight other stations for about eight years.

Sonya said Maghull did not become a proud throng property overnight.

“It’s a combination of a lot of things”, she said.

“We’ve got a excellent staff throng who are very conscientious and they live in and around the station. They recognize most of the customers by name.

“Then we’ve got our volunteers who keep the station looking attractive.”

When asked what other stations would require to do to test Maghull for the title, she said: “If they desire to construct a throng then they require to discover the heart of it, they require to inspire people to worry about their station and to receive period to nurture the locals.”

In a nod to the station retailers based at Maghull packed-period, she said: “We’re not just here to sell tickets or tend to the gardens or sell a coffee -they’re actually interested in people’s lives.”

But the staff also advantage from working somewhere with heart.

Station retailer Angela Horton, who has plied her trade at Maghull for 17 years, said: “We commence at half five, and then the flowers are in packed bloom, you get up in the morning and it’s light and it’s all in packed bloom, it starts your day off excellent.

“In actually makes you feel excellent, it’s amazing.”

Her co-worker Ian Harrison, based at Maghull for 14 years, added: “If you’re doing your little jobs on the station and you walk across the bridge and look out over the bus-stop area you view all these flowers and it does look amazing.”

Ray Badrock has also worked at Maghull for 14 years, and even appears in one of Margaret’s murals outside the main building.

He said: “It’s a really amiable mood.

“It’s the same people they all keep in touch they all recognize us by our first names.”

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