Students join the Big Spring Clean

University of Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ students and staff joined with Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project and Santander Universities for a Big Spring Clean in Queensdown Woods, the gateway to the South Downs National Park in Moulsecoomb, Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½.

2 March 2017

This was one of several community activities organised by the university’s Active Student Volunteering Service, as part of the national Student Volunteering Week 2017.

Other activities included working with Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Permaculture Trust to prepare its area at Stanmer Park, Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ for spring planting, a quiz and conversation café with residents in New Larchwood sheltered accommodation Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and a pancake bake with scouts in Hastings.

Students also signed up to be cheerers and marshalls for Macmillan Cancer Support runners at Sunday’s Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ Half Marathon, and local community organisations visited campuses to talk to students and staff about volunteering opportunities.

Big clean volunteers
Big clean volunteers

Susan Bentley, from Active Student Volunteering Service, said: “Volunteering offers a great chance for students to develop their employability skills and engage in local community projects. We support students who volunteer as part of their course as well as those who want to volunteer in addition to their studies.”

The Mayor of Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ and Hove, Councillor Pete West (a Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½ alumnus), chose Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project as one of the 27 charities he is supporting this year. He joined the clean-up: “In the space of a couple of hours we’d made a huge difference and felt very pleased that we’d made the effort.”