North Devon College Students help clean Taw

Barnstaple in Bloom, in partnership with Barnstaple Town Council, the Environment Agency and the Fire Brigade, invited North Devon College students to help clean up the River Taw as part of a project to make the town centre a cleaner and more beautiful place for residents and visitors.

The community initiative, which is heavily supported by local volunteers, aims to tidy up the town centre, weed pavements and plant flowerbeds in preparation for the national competition in July.

The clean-up saw North Devon College students from the Outdoor Adventure and Public Services programmes actively involved in clearing debris from the River Taw. The students pulled two tonnes of debris from the river, including bicycles, shopping trolleys, traffic cones, and even a large toy tractor! 

Frances Bell, Chair of Barnstaple in Bloom, expressed her gratitude to Mike Bazley and his students, saying, “I want to thank Mike Bazley and his students for all their hard work today. We literally could not have done it without them and are so grateful for their efforts. It’s been a fantastic opportunity for students to work first-hand with the Local Authority and local services, and we hope they have found it to be a rewarding experience.”

The community initiative provided a great opportunity for students to engage in practical community work. North Devon College student, Alfie Thompson, described the experience as “amazing”. He said, “It was loads of fun and the services were all really helpful.”

Find out more about our Outdoor Adventure and Public Services courses