Our FREE Sunday bus service from Eastleigh rail station to the park is now running.

Eight services will depart from Eastleigh rail station at 25 minutes past the hour starting from 10.25am, and travel direct to us passing through Fair Oak and Fisher’s Pond. A bus will then leave the park at 45 minutes past the hour, starting at 10.45am, for the return journey back to Eastleigh rail station. There is no need to rush round the park as the last bus will not depart the park until 5.45pm.

We have teamed up with The Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership and One Community, an independent charity providing voluntary transport services in the borough of Eastleigh, to bring you this FREE bus service. The service will last until 27 September and includes August Bank Holiday Monday. The launch of this accessible minibus service, which is run by volunteers, connects both the local community and rail travellers with us. It will replace the existing Solent Blue Line service that currently runs only three times on a Sunday. Paul Simmons, Marwell Wildlife Marketing Communications Manager added: “We are always looking to expand our sustainable business practices and we hope this free rail link bus will encourage more visitors to travel to Marwell Wildlife by public transport from the town of Eastleigh and from further afield. This new service follows our success last year at the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Sustainable Business Awards, where the judges were particularly impressed with our holistic approach to sustainable business and we were highly commended as joint best in the Medium Business Award category.”

The decision to continue the service beyond the end of September, and possibly extend it to other days in the week will depend on it’s success. The introduction of this innovative service follows on from a similar Sunday rail link bus between Romsey Rail Station, Mottisfont Abbey and Sir Harold Hillier Gardens which is now in its second successful year. Mark Miller, The Three Rivers Community Rail Partnership's rail officer, said: "I am delighted to be involved in yet another sustainable public transport project, which will reinvigorate local rail and bus travel".

During 2008 we were highly commended as joint best in the Medium Business Award category in the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Sustainable Business Awards 2008. We also received the Hampshire County Council Rural Business of the Year Award. The award recognised our achievement of balancing the need to be economically viable with a responsibility to the local environment and community. We also won the Winchester City Council Award for Green Innovation, which was awarded in recognition of the conservation charity’s commitment to improve environmental performance whilst minimising its environmental impact.

For more details about the free bus service please download the leaflet or poster (PDF files).

3 June 2009