Hull College tutor Cath leads charity tent salvage at Leeds Festival
GIVING SOMETHING BACK: Hull College tutor Cath Edwards, centre, on a salvage trip at Leeds Festival
By Rick Lyon
A Hull College tutor has been helping lead the way in the clean-up of Leeds Festival – all for a good cause.
Cath Edwards, a long-serving Maths tutor at Hull College, has lent her time to assist in clearing the Bramham Park site.
The festival attracts more than 100,000 visitors every year, which results in thousands of tents left behind at the campsite.
Cath’s involvement in the clean-up comes through Hull Help for Refugees, which is dedicated to supporting individuals fleeing conflict and adversity - particularly those affected by the ongoing global humanitarian crisis.
Hull College has been a steadfast partner of Hull Help for Refugees’ annual expedition to Leeds Festival to collect, salvage, and clean tents and discarded sleeping bags for the last three years.
This includes lending the use of its washing machines, to help in the cleaning and restoration of salvaged tents and sleeping bags.
It means the repurposed equipment can be used again by those who need it most.
HELPING OUT: The clean-up operation at Leeds Festival
This year, the reconditioned sleeping bags will be distributed to aid the homeless population in Hull through Jubilee Central.
The outreach will stretch beyond national borders too, offering support to those sleeping outdoors in Calais, France, and reaching as far as the people of Ukraine through partnerships with Care4Calais and Hull4Ukraine respectively.
Cath said: “We took a team of 30 asylum seekers and volunteers to salvage this year to help with the clean-up operation at Leeds Festival.
“Everyone who made the trip went there with a firm belief on the importance of giving back to society and community, along with helping and advocating those without a voice.
“The team came back with hundreds of sleeping bags and many pop-up tents, which was a fantastic amount and will all be donated to such worthwhile charities.
“We’re onto the next stage of the process now, making sure all of the items gathered are properly cleaned, and we are very grateful for the support provided by Hull College in helping us getting started with this.”