Northern is seeking residents who want to "adopt" eight railway stations across the region including several in Trafford.

The operator wants volunteers to spare some of their time to put the platforms and their surroundings in tip-top condition.

Almost two years ago it was seeking residents who wanted to "adopt" 40 railway stations across the region. Now there are hundreds of these adopters across the network, which sees 100 million journeys by passengers per year.

But this week it said the search is not over as it wants volunteers at eight sites in Greater Manchester including Flixton, Chassen Road, Humphrey Park and Trafford Park, all of them on the line between Manchester and Liverpool.

The others are Burnage and East Didsbury, both of which are in Manchester, and Gatley and Heald Green, both of which are in Stockport.

Craig Harrop, regional director at Northern, said: "These station adoption groups provide a vital link between Northern and the communities we serve, and they all do fantastic work at our stations, providing the best possible environment for our customers and local people alike. We are fortunate to have so many people who care so deeply about the railway and I am incredibly grateful for all the time they donate and all the hard work that makes such a difference to the station environment.  

"Many of our stations have active adopters and ‘Friends Of' groups, but these eight in Greater Manchester do not and we are looking for community volunteers who are willing to give their time to help us make a difference for their community."

Here is a list of the railway stations:
Burnage (Manchester)
East Didsbury (Manchester)
Gatley (Stockport)
Heald Green (Stockport)
Trafford Park (Trafford)
Humphrey Park (Trafford)
Chassen Road (Trafford)
Flixton (Trafford)

For information email adopters@northernrailway.co.uk or go to northernrailway.co.uk/community.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.