The Assessment team had an away day recently, setting out from campus to the sunny heights of Hawksworth Wood and Cragside Recreation Ground. Well, it was rainy, then sunny, then rainy again and finally sunny before rain, though it was a good day all round. 

Hawksworth Wood runs along Oil Mill Beck on the border with Horsforth, from near the Miller & Carter on the Ring Road to Kirkstall Forge; Cragside Recreation Ground sits overlooking the woods, nestled next to the Hawksworth Estate. Some Leeds Trinity University colleagues live around there, and it is also one of the local areas I take my Westie, Tavish, for a walk. 

We’ve been discussing having a volunteering away day for a few months as this would be a way for us to work together as a team while also supporting Leeds Trinity University’s strategic theme of community contribution and engagement. The day was organised by my colleagues Meisha Holliday and Rachel Piling, who liaised with Heather Wagstaff, Leeds City Council Ranger, over the arrangements.  

On the day there were 19 of us, working alongside Heather and her team. We were separated into three groups: there were four litter pickers covering the recreation ground; six tree fellers who helped clear away trees inside Hawksworth Wood damaged by the storms earlier this year; and everyone else lopped back trees at the edge of the wood and grounds. It was good to make a difference in the University’s local community for users of the grounds and clear entrances into the woods to help everyone enjoy the green space outdoors. 

It wouldn’t have been a proper away day without good food, and for lunch we supported a local business and went to The Bridge on Low Lane, for deep pies, warm jacket potatoes, and thick sandwiches. This gave us an opportunity to share what we had been doing and whether any of us had succumbed to prickly Hawthorn Tree spikes…

As well as supporting the community, it was a great way to spend time together as colleagues. Chris Rowley said it was a “great day out” and everyone agreed it was good for the team. Lucy Whitehead said lopping along the edge of the recreation ground was very enjoyable while Sarah Mumby celebrated the tree felling. Lynn Duff praised the team togetherness despite the weather, as did Helen Sunley-Calderwood who also said it was good to be making a difference. Meisha was especially grateful for being outdoors, the guidance of David from Leeds City Council who led the tree fellers, and “pies.”  

For those who don’t directly work with the Assessment team, we are part of Student Administration alongside Admissions and Records. We mostly deal with students’ assessments and progression, supporting Leeds Trinity University programmes including apprenticeships and working with our partners. 

There’s about twenty-five of us in total, and we are a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive team. Our away day helped cement our team’s togetherness, especially as in the last couple of years we’ve grown as our responsibilities have increased, so our volunteering day allowed us to be a team without the daily responsibilities. We all enjoyed getting out into nature and supporting the Horsforth community.  

James Corah is a Senior Assessment Administrator at Leeds Trinity University.