Pauline is one of three Directors at Station South, a destination cycle café, bar and urban garden in Levenshulme, Manchester. Based at the heart of an urban village, on the UK’s longest urban cycleway in a re-imagined Victorian railway station. 

Pauline looks after retail, press, events and partnership development as well as community engagement activities and of course, coffee selection!

Pauline Johnston said…

“As a grassroots social enterprise, we’ve developed out of a desire to make the area we live a healthier and happier place for all. In the near future we’ll be reaching out to our neighbours to delve into the extended benefits our community interest company can bring to Levenshulme and beyond.

“We’re working on a strong set of social aims which will guide our future business decisions and help us to stay connected to our neighbourhood and our community stakeholders.

We’ve got a very long list of ambitions and ideas we’re keen to take forward in the future, but for now here’s our three main aims;

1.    The restoration of the Levenshulme South Station building and transformation of adjacent greenspace

2.    Enable a positive cycling culture to develop by providing facilities for people who cycle and activities to support people to cycle

3.    Facilitate sustainable community business use of the building

Nominated by… 

Pauline was nominated for the 100 Women in Cycling by Cycling UK Community Development Officer Ellen Holmes who said: 

“Pauline is a real champion for active travel and community inclusion and part of the great team behind the exciting Station South which is underway with building a new cycle cafe and community bike hub in a disused railway station situated on a bridge above the National Cycle Network 'Fallowfield Loop' route. 

Pauline is a real champion for active travel and community inclusion and part of the great team behind the exciting Station South

Ellen Holmes

“She is incredibly dedicated to the project and has worked relentlessly to get the right stakeholders on board, access multiple different funding pots and generate a huge amount of interest for the project within the community together with her partners Mark Jermyn and Abigail Pound.

“While waiting for building work to be completed Station South have already been cracking on with running community cycle events to generate interest for when the cafe and bike workshop are finally opened to the public. 

“As well as being an idea generator for Station South she is also one of the founders of the Levenshulme Bee Network group, who secured £2.5 million pounds to make their local community a safer, healthier space for walkers and cyclists. 

“Her efforts within this group have successfully won the attention of Manchester City Council and Transport For Greater Manchester infrastructure planners, as well as inspiring a whole host of other community groups across Greater Manchester to follow suit with pushing for better active travel options within their neighbourhoods.”