Groundwork at Sandplace Train Station took place on Wednesday 20th October by the Green Team of the Student-Led Volunteering program.
This micro-volunteering event was created by the Green Team to kick off volunteering through your Students' Union after the break for the pandemic. They started the micro-volunteering event by meeting at Plymouth train station at 12:30 and getting the train from Plymouth to Liskeard.
Although it looked like it was due to rain and everyone turned up prepared for wet weather, it was surprisingly sunny! No one who came had been to Cornwall on the train before, so it was a new experience for everyone involved. They travelled on a group ticket which was provided by Devon and Cornwall railway so the travel for the afternoon was free of charge.
The group described the trip down there as beautiful. After they got off at Liskeard they changed onto the Looe Line and had to request to stop at Sandplace where they met Rebecca Caterall, from the Devon and Cornwall Railway Partnership.
Sandplace is a small, unmanned station that suffers from an influx of Himalayan balsam (impatiens glandulifera) an invasive species. Himalayan balsam grows quickly, especially near riverbanks, smothering native species.
When they arrived at Sandplace the Himalayan Balsam was contained to the other side of the tracks and not on the platform. They then spent the next hour and a half trimming the heather and rosemary bushes, planting daffodil buds, replanting large flower pots, and cutting back the large plants at the back of the station.
After a successful afternoon, they finally returned to Plymouth at 16:30 in high spirits after a successful day volunteering work.
"It was a great afternoon, speaking with fellow students from other courses which otherwise I would not have had the opportunity to talk to. We also got to go outside of Plymouth city centre and into the beautiful countryside that Cornwall has to offer."
- Green Team
Well done to everyone involved your hard work will always be greatly appreciated in the community.
If you wish to join or contact the Student-Led Volunteering Program then follow them on their Instagram here and find out more information on their UPSU webpage.
Want to Volunteer through your SU? Click here