The Green Team (part of the Students’ Union at UWE) are very excited to share that our Greenspace volunteering programme has won the South Gloucester Chair’s Community Award.  This award recognises and celebrates the valuable contribution local unpaid volunteers make to life in South Gloucestershire.

Yesterday, at South Gloucestershire and Stroud WISE Campus, the Greenspace Conservation Volunteers were presented with their award.

Who are the Greenspace Conservation Volunteering Group?

For 10 years the Greenspace Conservation Volunteering Group have worked hard to improve Splatts Abbey Wood and Sims Hill Community Woodland for both wildlife and the community. The volunteering group consists mainly of students from local Universities (University of the West of England, Bristol and University of Bristol) and form the greater part of the volunteering group. The hard work of our students has transformed Splatts Abby Wood into a fantastic place for both wildlife and people.

Every month the Greenspace Conservation Volunteering Group meets up on a Saturday and spends 5 hours volunteering in the woodlands. Over the past 10 years the students have improved the woodlands in a wide variety of ways:

• They have improved the paths by removing bramble and laying wood chippings so that the paths are clear and less muddy. This enables locals to easily enjoy the woodland.
• They have regularly carried out coppicing which increases tree diversity.
• They continually remove Wilson's Honeysuckle (an invasive species) which allows native species to thrive.
• The students (with the help of a local ornithologist) clean out nest boxes so that they can be used again. Additionally, they record the plastic use by the birds to create their nests. This enables research to be carried out in the impact of plastic on birds nesting.

Their work in Splatts Abby Wood alone, has meant that the woodland has transformed from a woodland requiring large amounts of work to a woodland only requiring regular maintenance work. 

Want to get involved?

If you would like to join the Greenspace Conservation Volunteering group and take part in their monthly conservation days, please e-mail thegreenteam@uwe.ac.uk.