Our Greenspace conservation volunteering sessions give UWE students the chance to support the preservation of local woodlands and greenspaces. Come along to one of our monthly sessions!
"We are proud of the difference our Greenspace sessions have made. The sessions give students the opportunity to make friends, build skills, confidence and experience in environmental conservation, and help to strenghthen the relationship between the univeristy and the local Bristol community."
- Toby Blewett, Sustainability Engagment Coordinator at The Students' Union at UWE
Greenspace aims to support local green sites in contributing to their conservation and ongoing maintenance. The project currently focuses on volunteering at Splatts Abbey Wood - an ancient woodland 10-minute walk from Frenchay campus, and Sims Hill Community Woodland - a beautiful woodland which is also nearby.
Through regular volunteering days, with your help, we aim to carry out essential works to these sites; adhering to individual management plans to promote the use and enjoyment of the spaces by the public and local communities.
Come along to gain valuable skills and experience such as:
There will also be opportunities for students to become Project Leaders for Greenspace, if you are interested in this role then please do email thegreenteam@uwe.ac.uk. No experience is necessary as training will be provided.
Volunteers who sign up have no obligation to come along to every session – just come along when it fits into your schedule.
The Greenspace project is open to all students. You do not need to study an environmental subject or have conservation experience to come along! Read our blog post about the sessions here.
We are now recruiting Student Project Leaders to lead our Greenspace volunteering sessions for the 26/27 academic year! If you are interested in supporting students and volunteers from the local Bristol community to preserve Bristol greenspaces, you can sign up here.
The SPLs will help to organise and lead workdays at the woodlands, working with woodland groups, such as the Splatts Abbey Wood Conservation Group and Sims Hill Community Woodland Group, and other organisations such as South Gloucestershire Council to do so. SPLs can sit on the woodlands' committees too if they wish, and will be given support guidance and training in conservation skills and risk assessment planning.
Email thegreenteam@uwe.ac.uk to sign up to the mailing list to be alerted when the next sessions will be. All dates will be listed on our events webpage here.
'Volunteering with UWE Greenspace allowed me to gain a number of skills in woodland management, as well as providing me with essential experience that I needed to improve my CV. It also gave me the opportunity to escape from the pressures of studying and to meet new people that also shared an interest in nature. Semi-natural ancient woodland now only covers <2.4% of the UK, so it is a great opportunity to be involved with habitat management where unique species can be found, even with such urbanised surroundings.'
Photo by Chris Flexen on Unsplash