GREEN-FINGERED members of the University of Worcester women’s rugby team scrimmed down for a litter pick at a popular Dines Green play area.
The students used litter-picking grabbers provided by Fortis Living and Worcester Community Trust and collected ten bin liners full of rubbish, including cans, bottles and broken glass.
They then went on to play basketball rugby and touch rugby with Dines Green children and helped the Worcester Community Trust by running a session at the mini youth club which is held for five to 11-year-olds at the Green Centre. They plan to return and hold regular sessions at the mini youth club, having fun and teaching boys and girls the joy of rugby
Coun Richard Udall invited the students to the area and said it was great to see the teenagers working and playing in Dines Green.
“The St John’s residents often have negative feelings about the university, but the students proved they are dedicated to their local community and they want to contribute towards improving St John’s and help local people and their families.
“They had a great time and clearly enjoyed themselves. The local kids are already asking for them to return.
“I hope it will be a start of a beautiful relationship between local students and local Dines Green residents. Hopefully, with their regular support, Dines Green may one day provide some future international rugby players,” he added.
The students included three players who all live in St John’s and recently represented England in the Women’s Under 20 team in the Three Nations Cup in Canada.
Team coach Benedicte Williams said: “The girls really enjoyed giving back to their local community. The litter pick was a real success and managed to clear the children’s play area of a lot of dangerous material to make it safe for them to play again.
“They also really enjoyed playing games of touch rugby and other fun activities with the mini youth group. I hope the kids enjoyed themselves as much as the students did.
“It’s really important, especially for university students, to really engage with the local community as I think there are a lot of preconceptions about students in the area and it’s great if we can really show the community they care as well.”
