Projects of Sustainability and

the Environment, supported by

NUSU Go Volunteer

Food Growing at Cockle Park

The Farm is owned by the University’s

School of Food, Agriculture & Rural

Development, and in 2014 we

persuaded them to let us use a little bit

of it : now students can grow food,

harvest it, and use it as a base for other

initiatives.

Jon drives volunteers up every

Wednesday and Saturday, who enjoy

the sociable and practical break from

studies. Everyone welcome.

Tonight you should hear about initiatives like A Second Life, the Green Grants

Project and Fossil Free Newcastle. These are just three of the student-led

projects we can support—talk to us if you think we can help you!

Apple collecting at

Scotswood Natural

Community Garden

Rupert’s Wood is a wild and

beautiful patch of woodland high in

Redesdale. We have been using it

as a base for conservation activities

for over 20 years. In this time,

hundreds of children from some of

the poorest areas of Newcastle

have been enabled to go camping

there by Newcastle Students.

This month, volunteers are working to

repair the wooden boardwalk that allows

wheelchairs and buggies enter the wood;

they are tracking the changes of Spring

with the Woodland Trust ‘s Track a Tree

programme, and learning campfire

cooking and survival skills.

Search for Rupert’s Wood Environmental

Project on Facebook.

Checking the Red

Squirrel Feeder

and Trail Camera

Did you know that your

Students’ Union has beehives?

Would you like to work with us to look

after our bees and learn about honey

production? It is fun, and also a fascinating

window onto the globalised pressures

facing all farming & wild pollinators.

Students at Cockle Park farm are growing a selection of good pollinator plants. These are rich in nectar and good at giving a long and steady supply to the flying creatures that we rely upon : bumblebees, hoverflies, honeybees and butterflies. Now Spring is coming it is time to look for the grey and desert areas of the city, think about where a small collection of nectar rich plants could be placed, perhaps choose one street and give it a flower-filled makeover? Are you interested in steering this project? If so, contact Mike and drop into the office on Wednesday 20th April to talk about what you might like to do.

Possible Roles : Contacting other groups such as

Tyneside Beekeepers, Buglife or local community partners

Preparing for a launch & perhaps a give-away of growing flowers at Newcastle Community Green Festival, 4 - 5 June

Helping grow the plants at Cockle Park (Sunflowers, Borage, Echinacea Achillia. Nasturtium etc)

Creating publicity or educational materials,

Organising an activity with kids at one of our local community partners

Identifying a small area of the city that could be a focus for new flower planting - then perhaps contacting the local businesses/residents there

New Project : Urban Pollinators

On the First Floor of the Students’

Union, staff with Go Volunteer are

available to support new student

volunteering initiatives. Come and ask

to talk to us—we even have money to

give away.

govolunteer.union@ncl.ac.uk

0191 2393926

http://www.nusu.co.uk/govolunteer/

Architecture students are this year building a Dark

Skies observatory for a local community & visitors to

enjoy the light-pollution-free skies of Northumberland.

The next stage is to lay the sedum roof on top of the

dry-stone-wall sitting area. To happen this month!

Students collecting native birch seeds

from the Tarset Burn, to grow on as

part of the Wild Wood Project

We also link up

with many outside

organisations

including the Tyne

Rivers Trust,

Northumberland

Wildlife Trust,

Newcastle Park

Rangers, the Bike

Garden, Arthurs

Hill Time

Exchange, West

Jesmond Primary

School and many

many more ...