COMMUTERS will get their fill of festive cheer at Westhoughton train station after volunteers pitched in to decorate it for Christmas.

The station, in Church Street, has been decked with a family of wooden reindeer, Santa and his sleigh, an inflatable Father Christmas and snowman and two embellished Christmas trees.

Local carpenter Michael Lloyd kicked off the collection of trinkets with a wooden reindeer which he donated to volunteer group Friends of Westhoughton Station.

However the one reindeer soon became a family of six, plus a wooden Santa on his sleigh which was then added to by volunteer Jim Orrell and his family, who decorated two trees for the site, one which was donated by local timber firm Hardman and Cain Fencing Ltd.

Over the past three years The Friends of Westhoughton Station have transformed the station from its former dilapidated state into a bright and inviting place for the community.

Chair of Friends of Westhoughton Station, Stephen Freeborn said: "I am very pleased that the local people of Westhoughton have become so involved in brightening the station up.

"People love it and I have had so many people say how lovely it looks and what a lovely thing it is to do.

"People thought it was lovely last year and we only had one tree but we have gone to town on it this year and it is really pleasant to see.

"We don't do anything at the station for any credit we just do it to make people have a bit of a smile on a gloomy morning.

"It is all for the passengers."