10 THE KNOW
Managing Britain’ s biggest campus
The Grounds Team at Keele manages the maintenance of the woods, lakes, sports fields and parkland on Keele’ s 600-acre campus, which is one of the largest in Europe.
We caught up with Head of Grounds, Jane Barker, to find out more about what it’ s like to be Head of Grounds at one of the largest campus universities.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My typical day usually involves site meetings to discuss plantings or landscaping on newly-built areas. I can go from chairing meetings to muddy walks in the woods checking our rhododendron for signs of infection. No two days are ever the same and that’ s what makes my job so interesting! I work with amazing people in Estates and there’ s always something to be involved with.
What kind of projects have you been working on recently?
Recently we worked with the Students’ Union to set up a group for students to help them cope with the pressures of revision and exams and this has proved popular – the students who have been involved helped to lay paths in the Memorial Garden and have planted trees. I previously worked in an acute mental health ward using horticulture as a therapy to help people with anxiety, depression and panic attacks.
It’ s hoped that this will continue to grow in popularity as the students that took part reported that they really enjoyed themselves.