Students from the Gardening and Decorating Project have teamed up with the University’s grounds team to help maintain the ornamental and botanical gardens at Singleton Campus by trimming ivy, weeding and laying a new wood chip path. The team have also been to Three Crosses and Treboth where they have been weeding and strimming gardens for pensioners in the area.

Liam Kelleher, a Physics PhD student who co-ordinated the work said; “So far 13 students and two staff members have completed 75 volunteering hours. The University’s gardening team have been great to deal with and made the experience very enjoyable.  We were all really pleased to help out in the community and tidy up the gardens of local pensioners and we hope to do more again soon.”

‌More about Discovery

All Discovery volunteers attend mandatory training and complete an enhanced DBS check before volunteering and some volunteers can also attend additional training where appropriate. They can volunteer in any of four main volunteering areas:

• Involve which supports vulnerable adults, including supporting people with additional needs to get involved with activities or to volunteer themselves.  It also includes supporting older members of the community, particularly those who may be isolated.
• Inspire which supports children and young people and volunteers can support a buddy reading scheme or young people affected by autism.  The can also work at Sketty Park Youth Group, or with child refugees and asylum seekers.
• Interact which focuses on improving the environment and activities include litter picks, serving surplus food meals to vulnerable community members and working on gardening and decorating projects
• International which centres on the Swansea Siavonga Partnership, a community work project based in Siavonga in Zambia.