COMMUTERS at Hexham railway station were delighted to be able to pick up their morning cuppa from the newly refurbished Whistle Stop kiosk this week.

It was the official opening of the new-look coffee stop which has been taken over by Journey - formerly Daybreak - the Acomb-based hub which helps people with additional needs find meaningful work.

The charity won the lease from Northern Rail via the Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership.

Journey has its own bakery at Acomb which is supplying all kinds of mouthwatering cakes and traybakes to the kiosk. A former Greggs executive has been working with the charity on its menu.

Adam Bird, said the re-fit had been made possible by the overwhelming generosity of the local community.

"Everyone at Journey Enterprises would like to say a huge thankyou to those who have donated their time and expertise to help us get the kiosk up and running - we wouldn't have been able to do it without them," said Adam.

"It is such a wonderful community effort that will allow us to continue to support people with learning difficulties to progress into supported employment."

Amongst the Hexham firms who gave a helping hand were decorator Derek Bird; tiler Colin Varty; Robin Watson Sign and Design; and Eleanor Renwick of the Little Chalk Company. Homebase, Fentimans and Majisign also contributed.