Tree-mendous news – over £24,000 raised for local charity Hospsicare!

For the third year running, the University’s Grounds Team have teamed up with local charity Hospiscare to recycle Christmas trees and support terminally ill people and their families.

Volunteers collected trees from households across Devon in exchange for a £10 donation. The trees were taken to the University’s Streatham Campus and chipped by the Grounds Team. The chippings will be used as mulch for the shrub beds on our campuses.

More than 2,000 Christmas trees were collected by 85 volunteers and chipped by the Grounds Team – raising over £24,000 for Hospiscare.

Laura Robertson, Fundraising Projects Manager at Hospiscare said: “This initiative simply wouldn’t be possible without the generous support from our local community and organisations like the University of Exeter donating their time and invaluable services. The money raised from our tree collection and recycling campaign will help us support more local patients and families living with terminal illness, who need us now more than ever.”

Dave Evans, Head of Grounds Operations at the University of Exeter said: “The University’s Grounds Team feel privileged to support Hospiscare once again through the Christmas tree recycling scheme. It’s been a fantastic effort by all involved and we’re proud to be able to provide for our community in Devon, at a time when it is needed most.”

The partnership between the University of Exeter and Hospiscare is in its third year, and together, they have recycled over 4,500 trees with the scheme raising over £55,000 for the charity since it began.

Hospiscare Christmas Tree Recycling

 

We are delighted to be supporting Hospiscare’s Christmas Tree Recycling scheme again this year.

If you live in Exeter, Exmouth, Honiton, Tiverton, Sidmouth or Ottery St Mary there’s an easy way to recycle your Christmas tree and help local people with a terminal diagnosis at the same time.

In return for a donation to Hospiscare, volunteers will collect your Christmas tree from your home on Friday 13th or Saturday 14th January. The trees will be brought to the University’s Streatham Campus where our Grounds Team will shred them. The clippings will be used to improve public rights of way and distributed as mulch around our grounds.

Registration closes on Sunday 8th January. For more information and to register, visit https://www.hospiscare.co.uk/events/christmas-tree-recycling/

Covid Testing Sheds Upcycled to Community Gardens

Throughout the pandemic the University sited an outdoor Covid testing centre on Streatham Campus and now that this centre has been disbanded, the Covid Testing Centre Manager, Deborah Custance-Baker, contacted the Grounds Team and kindly offered two of the testing sheds to be re-housed.

Deborah said “During the pandemic, the Covid Rapid Response Team took over the Sports Hall and ran a drive-through testing centre at Car Park B, which we used the sheds for. The testing officially ended at the end of early June 2022. We had found it difficult to rehome equipment from the the project as there was such a mass of it all. Now Covid is coming to and end, it is great to find a benefit of these sheds for the local communities”.

Our Horticultural and Operations Manager, Anthony Cockell, made some enquiries within the local communities and found two new homes for these sheds – Exeter St Thomas Community Garden and the Refugee Support Devon Community Allotment.

Anthony, along with two members of the Grounds Team – Sam Whitehorne and Leo Brooke, used their University annual volunteering community day to work together and deliver these sheds to their new horticultural homes.

This is a great sustainable and community initiative and we are delighted to be able to support these local communities.

The pandemic highlighted the importance of outdoor space, the benefits of nature and gardening and how it increases wellbeing and mental and physical health. So it seems fitting that equipment used for the pandemic can now be used for community allotments and gardens.

Thank you to everyone involved with this project; your generosity and hard work will benefit many!

Loading the sheds

Loading the sheds

Loading the sheds

Delivering the shed to the Refugee Support Devon Community Allotment

Shed delivered – great job everyone!

Tree-mendous News – more than £16,000 raised for local charity Hospiscare!

We are delighted to announce that we have helped raise more than £16,000 (with gift aid still to be added) for the local charity Hospiscare by supporting their Christmas Tree Recycling Campaign.

1,200 trees were collected by volunteers from homes across Exeter, Exmouth and Honiton and brought to the green waste site on our Streatham Campus.

The trees were then chipped by our Grounds Team and agricultural students from Bicton College.

A Jensen chipper was kindly lent to us by Elm Star, a local company in Newton Abbot, who also instructed the students on how to operate the chipper.

The chippings will be applied on the grounds around campus and also used to improve a local public right of way path.

We would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who was involved in the collaborative community campaign raising funds for the very worthwhile local charity Hospiscare. You are absolute stars!

Laura Robertson, Hospiscare Fundraising Projects Manager said “the money raised could fund 22 in-patient beds for a whole 24 hours. During what is a particularly difficult time for Hospiscare financially, this total really will help considerably and will contribute to ensuring we are here for local people living with terminal illness and their families long into the future”.

Just some of the 1,200 trees to be shredded!

Getting ready to start

Here we go!

Jensen chipper kindly lent by local company Elm Star

Working hard

Chipping in action

Operating the chipper

Bicton College students doing a fantastic job

Nearly finished!

Tree-rific News – more than £9,000 raised for Hospiscare!

We are delighted to announce that we have helped raise more than £9,000 for Hospiscare by supporting their Christmas Tree Recycling Campaign.

814 trees were collected from residents in Devon and brought to our Streatham Campus.

Some of the 814 Christmas trees ready to be chipped

The trees were then chipped by our Grounds Team and agricultural students from Bicton College.

Chipping in action

 

One of the Grounds Team apprentices

All the chippings have been donated to the Avanti Hall School (previously the Steiner Academy) and will also help improve the local Public Rights of Way.

From trees to chippings!

Well done everyone!

We would like to say an extra special thank you to our Deputy Operations Manager, Anthony Cockell, who was instrumental in co-ordinating this very worthwhile project.

Richard from Hospiscare and Anthony Cockell, Deputy Grounds Operations Manager

Step This Way! Upgraded Public Right of Way Footpath

Working in partnership with Devon County Council, the University has upgraded the public right of way footpath through the Lowern Hoopern and Taddiforde Valley that connects the Prince of Wales Road with the cycle path on the opposite side of the valley.

Below are the before works, during works and completed works photos – what a difference!

Before works

During works; nearly there!

Works completed – what a difference!

Successful Joint Community Litter Pick!

The University’s Grounds Team and the Student Community Wardens took part in a very successful joint community litter pick event with the St David’s Neighbourhood Partnership on Friday 29th March 2019, as part of the Keep Britain Tidy Great British Spring Clean.

We covered a large area of St David’s and collected around 20 bags of rubbish with some very interesting finds!

Thank you to everyone who took part.

All litter picked out! Tired but happy and proud of our hard work.

 

Joint Community Project – Litter Pick St David’s Neighbourhood

The University Grounds Team and the University Community Student Wardens teamed up with the St David’s Litter Busters group on Friday 27th April 2018 in a successful joint community project, litter picking around the St David’s neighbourhood.

Despite it being a very wet rainy day, we collected numerous bags of rubbish and had some interesting finds!

Before the litter pick; dry and raring to start!

After the litter pick; soaking wet but very happy with our achievement!

Joint Litter Pick Project, St David’s Neighbourhood – Friday 27th April 2018

The University’s Grounds staff are very happy to be teaming up with the St David’s Litter Busters Group on Friday 27th April 2018 to carry out a litter pick in the St David’s neighbourhood.

This is our first joint project and we are looking forward to an enjoyable and successful day.

University Spring Community Day – Saturday 17th March 2018

The University is holding it’s Spring Community Day from 10.30am to 2.30pm on Saturday 17th March 2018 and would like to invite everyone in the local community to come and explore our diverse and vibrant community; with wacky experiments by world class scientists, sports activities, street food, face painting, a bouncy castle, creative crafts, a special appearance by rugby Premiership champions Exeter Chiefs and much more.

Please do come along and enjoy a fabulous day!