Stourbridge staff thank supporters after losing World Cup final by a cat's whisker
Staff at a railway station which shot to fame thanks to their resident cat have thanked all those who voted for them.
Stourbridge Junction was a frontrunner in the World Cup of Stations contest thanks to six-year-old George, who has become a celebrity.
But they narrowly missed out on the top prize – losing by a "cat's whisker" – to Glasgow Queen Street station by less than a third of a per cent.
Station supervisor Ian Tomlinson, who is in charge of the moggie, said: "We lost by a cat's whisker you can say, but we're still the top in England.
"Obviously a lot of work went into it by our station manager Simone Carter to promote it.
"Our passengers have all voted and lots of people have as well, which we're grateful for.
"But we're a bit disappointed, of course. We're only a little station and George has been very popular – he's a great ambassador for the station."
George, who has nearly 10,000 followers on social media, has become a celebrity after making his home at the station in December 2017.
And he hasn't seemed to have taken the victory badly, with Mr Tomlinson saying he simply spent the day in the booking office.
It was George's work promoting public safety, through his online presence, which helped Stourbridge Junction make the shortlist for the Rail Delivery Group's annual competition.
Staff at Stourbridge Junction were praised for installing new signs and educating passengers to ensure they could travel safely and comfortably amid the pandemic.
But special recognition went to the role of George for his role in helping to spread the latest railway safety messages using through social media.
