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Birmingham: Canal clean up

3 September 2020

Volunteers dredge canal and clear tow path in Birmingham

Unite Students’ volunteers helped dredge a canal and clear a tow path in Selly Oak, Birmingham – removing shopping trolleys, bicycles, golf trolleys and much more.

It came after Unite Students opened its second building in Selly Oak, home to the University of Birmingham (UoB) campus and student accommodation.  Demand for student housing greatly outstrips supply in this area.

The team partnered with the Canals Trust and UoB to create volunteering opportunities. Employees and students worked to clean up the canal and surrounding area to provide a safer, cleaner and more engaging environment for local residents and students.

Since opening in September 2019, Unite has invested more than £21,000 into the local area and community. It is hoped the canal dredging and tow path clearance will encourage more students to adopt greener methods of transport between their accommodation and university. Unite has also offered financial support to the Lapal Canal Trust to support the reshaping of part of the canal to make it safer and more accessible.

Victoria Simmons, Unite’s Area Manager in Birmingham, said:

“Our top priority is keeping our students safe and providing a brilliant experience; we want to extend this to the local community in the areas surrounding our student home. Working closely with the University of Birmingham and local charities, we are working to make a positive impact that benefits a wide range of people. We look forward to continuing this work going forwards, bringing in more student involvement to help with their integration into the local community and spread these efforts even further.”