As part of Community Action’s push to get more students volunteering in the local community, the Men’s and Women’s Rugby Clubs united on Saturday 5October, to help clear cut down a series of trees from the St. Ann’s Hill woods in Chertsey. Runnymede Council’s ‘Tree Office’ is keen to promote a return of natural flora to the area, and is currently undertaking a huge project to scale back the invasive laurels that have colonised the area. For this, a number of students from a variety of local institutions have been recruited, and on this occasion those from Royal Holloway were joined by representatives from the nearby Anglo-American School and the local Scout troop.

Following a brief safety demonstration, the two clubs set to work on what proved to be quite a physically demanding task for even the fittest of rugby players. Despite this, those who are more accustomed to sizing up and chopping down players on the rugby pitch found themselves quite enjoying their new found roles as lumberjacks. At the heart of this exercise was teamwork, and the two clubs pulled together clearing their respective sections in an efficient and methodical manner. The stronger members, predominantly the burlier forwards, were entrusted with hacksaws to scythe through the trunks, whilst those remaining (largely the weedier backs), were charged with moving the fallen debris. A doubly positive result was achieved as the public footpaths, which are regularly used by ramblers and dog walkers alike, became less encroached by the overgrown foliage and consequently easier to traverse.

Both clubs have already lined up a number of future volunteering projects, as they continue to recognise the value that constructive bonding off the field can bring to their performance on it – both club’s First XVs have enjoyed unbeaten runs so far. But more importantly, the benefits to the local community are huge since many projects cannot run successfully without the support of student volunteers. Once you get stuck in you usually end up having a great time, and at the end of the day any kind of extra-curricular activitiescan be added to your CV and thus improve your employability.

Whilst the tree cutting may not have been the most exciting project in the world, the banter made it thoroughly enjoyable nevertheless. If you’re not part of a club or society that is quite so proactive as the Rugby Clubs, you can still get involved by visiting www.rhul.ac.uk/volunteering  and registering to receive regular updates from the Community Action team.

So what are you waiting for, get volunteering today!