A volunteering day organised to mark the start of De Montfort University's unique Square Mile Project has been hailed a huge success, with residents delighted by the drive to make a difference in their community.
The volunteering day on Thursday 22 September turned the Woodgate, Fosse, Tudor Road and Newfoundpool areas of Leicester into a hive of activity as scores of men and women from DMU, the city council and the community got stuck in to activities to benefit the area.
Tudor Gardens, off Tudor Road, was totally transformed in the space of five hours and free English language lessons at Newfoundpool Community Centre attracted young and old from the Polish community.
More than one hundred pupils from Fosse Primary School and Slater Primary School took part in basketball, rugby and football sessions, while a community café set up in Rally Park became a focal point for people to get together and talk about Square Mile.
Meanwhile, DMU volunteers, and Leicester West MP Liz Kendall, knocked on hundreds of doors in the area to consult residents about the project, while an army of litter pickers cleaned up the streets.
Community projects
A total of 21 projects were launched during the volunteering day which will run between now and December. They also include running a Street Youth Work Team, breastfeeding support for mums, free hearing checks, story bags to improve child literacy, a campaign to help people lose weight with their local pharmacy and courses to learn how to become a community news reporter.
Students from Tohoku University in Japan, who are staying at DMU for a holiday while they rebuild their lives following the March earthquake, helped out at Tudor Gardens. They were joined by DMU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard and Hewlett Packard UK Managing Director Nick Wilson. Hewlett Packard has donated money to help cover the cost of the Japanese students' visit to DMU.
Square Mile aims to make a difference for people living in the Fosse, Tudor Road, Woodgate and Newfoundpool areas, in Leicester, by drawing on the skills of the university's staff and students and the enthusiasm of residents.
Thought to be the first university project of its kind in the UK, Square Mile aims to work with thousands of residents over a 12 month period and together make a big difference.
Universities as a public good
Square Mile is the brainchild of Professor Shellard as part of his drive to demonstrate how universities are a public good.
During volunteering day Rose Gwyvher and her friend Joan Archer, both of Tudor Road, were in the community café on Rally Park tucking into some free tea and cake.
Rose said: "I think this project is great for the area. This Community Cafe is the most exciting thing to have happened in Rally Park since goodness knows what. It should be a regular feature!
"It is great that Square Mile is going to last for 12 months. The main thing now is we keep going with it."
Joan said: "I have the Square Mile posters in both my windows to advertise it. It is wonderful there is a community café here. It shows Rally Park is a community park. Let's use it for the community."
Kaylee Stanhope, 21, of Tyrell Street, was at the park with her five-year-old daughter. She said: "It is about time something like this happened in our area rather than everyone concentrating on just improving the city centre.
"I have a three-year-old and a five-year-old and there is not much available for them. I will definitely be doing my best to get involved in some of the schemes that are being run by the university. I need to work on my CV for getting into college so getting involved will certainly help."
James Gardner, DMU's Square Mile Project Director, said: "The response by the community to this volunteering day has been superb. This has really got the project off to a great start.
"It was brilliant to see so many students, staff and residents working together to bring the Square Mile to life.
"Now the work really starts and I am looking forward to continuing to work in partnership with the community to make a difference over the coming months."