University makes good on community pledge

A morning spent volunteering in the Peak District National Park achieved far more than the clearing of a public footpath for a group of Buxton College students recently. Their four hours of hard work completed ‘Project 2012’, Buxton College and the University of Derby Buxton’s pledge to complete 2,012 hours of voluntary work in the local community.

 The group of 12 Living for Learning and Work students, who all have extra support needs, spent the morning lopping overhanging tree branches and cutting back bushes on a popular public footpath into the village of Baslow, clearing the way for walkers. 

 It is just one of the projects to have benefited from Project 2012 over the last year. Age Concern, Buxton’s ‘Streetsafe’ campaign, Volunteer Bureau Buxton, Blackbrook Zoological Park, Scope, the Salvation Army Hawthorns Nursing Home and High Peak Kennels are also among the 48 organisations and charities to have received help from volunteers.

 Dr Peter Dewhurst, Dean of the University of Derby Buxton, said: “I am delighted that we have passed our target of volunteering 2,012 hours to our local community. This is a fantastic achievement for our students who have shown great commitment and enthusiasm for supporting the community they live in.”