Celebrating Grounds Week 2026: shining a light on our outdoor heroes

This week is Grounds Week, it runs from 23–29 March 2026, is all about celebrating the people who look after our grounds. Grounds Week is a nationwide annual campaign celebrating the expertise and professionalism of those responsible for maintaining the UK’s playing surfaces and green spaces. It is a chance to say thank you to our wonderful grounds team in keeping our green spaces beautiful all year round!

Our Grounds team is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the University’s extensive campus landscape, ensuring it remains safe, functional, and visually appealing for students, staff, and visitors. The team currently consists of:

• Deputy Grounds Manager
• Head Grounds Person
• Sports Field Assistant
• Grounds Operatives / Landscapers

Together, the team manages a wide range of environments across campus, including sports pitches, formal landscapes, woodlands, lakes, planted beds, and open green spaces.

Their seasonal activities are:

Winter

During winter, the team focuses on essential safety and preparation work. This includes snow and ice clearance to keep pathways and key routes safe, winter pruning of trees and shrubs, machinery maintenance, and planning for the upcoming growing season.

Spring

Spring is a key period for regeneration across the campus. The team undertakes planting of seasonal displays, prepares sports pitches and lawns for increased use, carries out turf maintenance, and manages early weed control as growth begins.

Summer

Summer is the busiest time for landscape maintenance. The team carries out regular grass cutting across the campus, maintains sports pitches, irrigates planted areas where necessary, and manages horticultural displays to ensure the grounds remain attractive during peak campus activity and events.

Autumn

In autumn, the focus shifts to leaf clearance, preparing planted areas for winter, carrying out tree and shrub maintenance, and completing turf renovations on sports surfaces following the main playing season.

Grounds Week is a wonderful reminder that the spaces we love don’t take care of themselves, our dedicated team does. So this March, let’s celebrate them, appreciate their work, and shine a brighter light on the vital role they play in our community.