As staff slowly begin to return to campus you will, I’m sure, notice how green and luscious it is looking. That’s thanks to our wonderful Grounds team who, throughout the past few months, have been working hard to keep the campuses looking their best.
“It has been a strange time with so few people on the campuses,” says Senior Groundsman Steve Gardner. “But there has been plenty to do still. Where we might usually spend a lot of time going around emptying bins, there’s been a lot less of that, so we’ve had more time to get to other jobs, like hedge trimming, particularly around the car parks, where it can be difficult to reach on days when campus is full of cars. Obviously that kind of work can also be quite noisy, so we’ve tried to get as much done before people start returning to campus.”
“I think people will really see a difference when they come back,” adds Steve. “The team have done a really good job and it’s all looking really well with lots of flowers out. We’ve got quite a lot of orchids, and the cherry blossom has been outstanding this year.”
And while the campuses might have been quieter of human traffic, there’s been no shortage of wildlife.
“The bird song has been wonderful,” says Steve. “We’ve really noticed it a lot more. I’ve even seen and heard a couple of woodpeckers in the area around the back of the science labs.
“There have also been lots of insects, including lots of butterflies, enjoying the wildflowers, which have really been thriving.”
“Campus cat has been looking a bit lonely though,” Steve jokes. “Although we have had another couple of domestic cats around the place too!”
The Grounds team are now busy preparing the artificial playing surfaces, as well as the football pitches over at Battenhall, for the forthcoming football activities.
A huge thanks to Steve and all the Grounds staff for all their efforts. We can’t wait to see the fruits of your labour.
University of Worcester Staff News 