Local Volunteers Celebrated with Community Hero award

Local volunteers have been recognised with prestigious civic awards for their environmental volunteering at two local woodlands. 

Splatts Abbey Wood’s committee member Jenny James (shown in the centre of the students in photo right) and the UWE student volunteer Greenspace group both won South Gloucestershire Council Chair’s awards 2024 for their volunteering at two local woodlands – Splatts Abbey Wood and Sims Hill Community Woodland. 

The awards ceremony was on the 31st January at SGS college. 

Splatts Abbey Wood group Chair  David Bell said “It is wonderful news that our volunteers have won these awards recognising their contributions to the two woodlands and the local community. Jenny has served on the committee for five years and the students as a whole have been volunteering with the woodlands for 10 years!”

On behalf of the student Project Leaders and volunteers, Senior student project leader Stefan Bigsby stated “The Greenspace student volunteer group is happy to announce that they are now an award-winning group! On Wednesday the 31st of January, we were invited to the SGS WISE campus to receive a community hero community award. The night was brilliantly hosted with a buffet as well as an excellent live music and dance performance by some of the students of SGS college. As a group we are delighted to be nominated for the civic award that recognises the group’s dedication to volunteering in South Gloucestershire.”

Laura Thomas from the SU at UWE told us: 

‘We are delighted that our students have won the Chair’s Community Awards. For 10 years the Greenspace Conservation Volunteering Group have worked hard to improve Splatts Abbey Wood and Sims Hill Community Woodland for both wildlife and the community and they have had a transformative impact. They have improved paths, removed invasive species (which allows native species to thrive) and much more. It is wonderful to have their hard work recognised.’  

Jenny James said: – “The award came as a complete surprise.  I would like to thank all those people who took the time to nominate me.  It is a great honour to accept it and I am grateful and deeply touched.”

The student volunteers continue with their work at both woodlands, making a transformative difference. They recently did a workday at Splatts and have more planned at Sims Hill.

Several Splatts volunteers have won these prestigious civic awards in past years, including Andy Ward, Fred Hillberg and David Bell.

Splatts Abbey wood is beside Cheswick Village and the MoD; Sims Hill woodland runs around the Bristol Business Park.

Splatts Abbey Wood Conservation group can be contacted at    [email protected] 

To find out more about the Sims Hill group email –   [email protected] 

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