Cirencester College students have raised £700 for the NHS Forest Green Gym at Querns Wood, part of Cirencester Hospital. The students raised the funds by holding a charity auction as part of their National Citizen Service (NCS) in 2012.
As part of Cirencester College’s first NCS programme intake, the students have made a huge impact in the local community. They decided to support the Green Gym as the they liked the work being done to improve Cirencester’s green spaces for everyone’s enjoyment, and saw the wellbeing benefits of volunteering outdoors.
“The enthusiasm, initiative and community spirit shown by the students has been really impressive. The charity auction was a huge success, and the proceeds raised will help to sustain the Green Gym. It’s a real credit to the students to have achieved this.”
Georgina Smith, Corporate Sustainability Manager, NHS Gloucestershire
The NHS Forest Green Gym has now partnered with Cirencester Town Council to make improvements in Querns Wood. Dubbed Cirencester’s first ‘Community Woodland’, it is starting to take shape with volunteer support. On 7 March 2013, the college students helped members of the Green Gym to decide what improvements to make to the Querns Woods site with the money they raised.
Martin Conyers, Land Management Officer said, “We are delighted that Cirencester’s young people have chosen to support the work of the Green Gym in Querns Wood. This financial support will take us another step forward with the exciting plans for this much-loved community green space.”