Exciting green projects were front and centre of MK College Group’s fourth annual College in the Community Day last Wednesday.
The event supported the College Group’s focus on sustainability and environmental impact.
More than 1,200 staff and students volunteered to do their bit in a host of tasks around the environment, helping important charities or just putting a smile on a whole lot of faces; the College’s bricklaying students spent the day building bird hides at the Blue Lagoon in Bletchley with support from Milton Keynes City Council and Taylor Wimpey South Midlands.
The College’s Science students worked with the Parks Trust to build a hibernaculum – a refuge for hibernating animals – in a meadow in Old Wolverton, and staff from the Student Support team helping to prepare a space for a new forest school at Haversham Village School.
“We are so proud to support Milton Keynes College for their annual College in the Community Day 2026,” said Julie Pearce, Regional Apprentice Manager at Taylor Wimpey, “Working closely with local schools and our community is very important to Taylor Wimpey. It’s a privilege to be part of multiple projects this year for College in the Community Day, including donating materials for bat boxes and helping to create a bird hide at the Blue Lagoon Nature Reserve with Milton Keynes City Council.
“We look forward to seeing the bat boxes across the city, one of which will be proudly hung outside our Taylor Wimpey office in Newton Leys, and to watch the Blue Lagoon Nature Reserve thrive this summer and beyond.”
Jamie Griffiths, a Level 2 bricklaying student who worked on the project at the Blue Lagoon said, “It’s been brilliant to do something different, building a bird hide so people who come to the Blue Lagoon can see the different birds that are here.
“We had a challenge to start with when we were struggling with height differences, but we made it all level and got there in the end. It feels great to have done the project today, and it will be nice when the local community can come along and use what we’ve built.”
As MKFM reported throughout the day, volunteers came together to support more than 60 community projects across the Milton Keynes area, including Willows Care Home in Great Linford, where beauty students offered hand and arm massages, file and polish to residents.
At Milton Keynes University Hospital students volunteered to entertain visitors to the restaurant and offering mini manicures to staff and patients. They also went litter picking, tidying the courtyard areas and delivering afternoon tea boxes to staff and patients in the Cancer Centre.
Another beneficiary was MK Foodbank, where students sorted and delivered donations from staff and students, ready to be given out to those in need.
“College in the Community Day has become a highlight of the year for staff and students alike, and this year was no exception,” said Chief Executive and Group Principal at MK College Group, Sally Alexander, “It’s fantastic that so many of the projects were focused on supporting and improving our local environment and wildlife, as well as a range of other projects which added so much value for local communities.
“I visited many of the projects and I’m so proud of the commitment from our colleagues and learners to support so many charities and community groups,” she added, “Over time, it’s been wonderful to see the projects grow or even expand from previous years, as well as see the brand-new projects that have started this year; it’s fantastic to see our staff and students involved in such a diverse mix of projects.”
