Eco fortnight kicks off this year’s Summer term at Hills

During the first week back after the Easter break, the annual HR4.5K fun took place, with students and staff dressed in a variety of fancy dress costumes and following the local 4.5km route along Hills Road, Long Road, Brooklands Avenue, and back onto Hills Road.

The event kicked off with an energetic warm-up in the Quad led by local personal trainer and familiar face at HR4.5, Ash Bower, before participants set off from the starting line, continuing this much-loved annual tradition. Each finisher received an eco-medal embedded with wildflower seeds, ready to be planted to support bee-friendly habitats.

Participants were raising funds for Just One Tree charity, a global reforestation programme dedicated to removing CO2 from the atmosphere. This year's initiative is helping Kenyan communities by supporting the ’20 Million Trees for Kenya's Forests’ project.

"The HR4.5K is one of my favourite dates in the College calendar, it is really great to see everyone come together to dress up, raise money and have fun outside!" - Reuben

Throughout the fortnight, an inspiring lineup of sustainability guest speakers shared insights on how we can all contribute to addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis. Pippa Heylings, MP for South Cambridgeshire, started the series of talks with an inspirational talk entitled 'People Power Now!' Local action for the planet.

Alan Rusbridger, former editor of The Guardian, gave an insightful talk on Climate Change and the Media, and Sarah, an entrepreneur and founder of the local Green Weigh shop in Sawston, gave a talk about Science to Sustainability. #greenweighshop

During the second week, students attended whole-cohort presentations before exploring a lively Pop-up Eco-Fair featuring stalls from the Bug Society and the Environment Society. Next door, the bustling clothes and book swap drew eager participants, offering a diverse selection of clothing, shoes, accessories and jewellery, alongside a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books. The event showcased students’ commitment to reducing the impact of fast fashion.

A huge thank you to the dedicated students, staff organisers and enthusiastic supporters who made Eco Fortnight such a success.