VISITORS will be able to scout out the best the town has to offer the second they step off the train, thanks to a new information centre at Petersfield railway station.

A room next to the station’s main office holds information, leaflets and guides highlighting the top attractions in the town and the South Downs National Park.

The centre has been called The Hub and is described by the Community Rail Partnership that runs it as a “mini welcome to Petersfield and the South Downs National Park”.

Manned by one member of staff and a group of volunteers, the office will be open all summer from Wednesdays to Sundays, from 10am to 3pm.

Mark Miller, chairman of the Community Rail Partnership, said: “Visitors will be able to step off the train and pop into the Hub to discover what the area has to offer.

“The aim is to encourage visitors to travel by rail, bus, cycle, on foot and to guide them on their journeys in and around the South Downs National Park and to discover the attractions on offer in East Hampshire and surrounding areas.

“The project has been funded by the East Hampshire Community Rail Partnership, with a grant from the National Association of Community Rail Partnerships and we are very grateful to them and to South West Trains for all the help they have given.”

The Hub was originally a parcels office before being leased by the Community Rail Partnership, which includes representatives from East Hampshire District Council, South Downs National Park, South West Trains, and Hampshire County Council.

In July, volunteers from Pfizer, a pharmaceutical company in Havant, and one volunteer from Petersfield Tesco, spent a day clearing out and repainting the disused room to turn it into an attractive office.

Community First East Hampshire arranged for the Pfizer staff to fix the office up and is now appealing for volunteers to help run it during the summer.

Anyone interested in volunteering at the Hub should call Mark Miller on 07900 103296 or e-mail [email protected].