Waterway to go! Students volunteer to clear canal

Student volunteers have helped make the canals cleaner after filling bagfuls of rubbish from the banks of the River Soar, close to De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) campus.

A team of students worked alongside the Canal and River Trust and Leicester City Council on the clean-up operation, one of several carried out by the DMU Square Mile volunteers throughout the year.

Old bicycles, broken umbrellas, junk food wrappers and shoes have all been cleared up in the past and the students have also helped to improve the environment by planting flowers and building bird houses to attract wildlife.

This week’s clean-up was the first in a three-week blitz by the volunteers, who spend two hours every Wednesday working on the canal. They get professional training from the Trust to take part.

Yue Pang, an international Accounting and Finance student and canal clean-up volunteer, said: “My duty at this event was planting flowers along the river. The staff were so nice and gave lots of guidance. Digging for nearly three hours tired me a little, however I felt very happy. I’m looking forward to the seeds to grow into flowers. Can’t wait for next time!”

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The canal clean-up was just one of several activities that DMU Square Mile has been helping out with this week.

Students and staff also:

• Helped support 180 GCSE students from Leicester schools who attended a maths booster class aimed at helping raise the number of pupils who gain at Grade C pass or above
• Helped teach a lunchtime club for pupils interested in Architecture and Engineering at Lancaster Boys School, Knighton Lane East, Leicester
• Volunteered at the city’s Social Media Café, which runs at the Leicester Centre for Integrated Living at West End Community Centre
• Carried out diabetes risk assessments on members of the public and raised awareness of the condition at a family fun day in Leicester
• Helped “demystify” life at university for pupils aged 12 and 13 from schools around the city and county. They had a taster lecture, learned budgeting tips and met current students.