Green-fingered students and staff volunteers donned gloves to give the garden in the heart of their city centre campus a makeover.

Members of the University of Cumbria Students' Union (UCSU) spent several hours transforming the garden as part of National Student Volunteering Week, which runs until Sunday February 26 .

During the gardening session at the Fusehill Street headquarters site of the University of Cumbria, near the centre of Carlisle, volunteers tidied up overgrown raised beds, swept leaves and rebuilt the 'bug hotel'.

Kati (CORR) Brown, volunteering facilitator at UCSU, said the garden had been cleared in preparation for the spring planting of fruit and vegetables by students and staff.

"Everyone worked really hard and we managed to clear the garden before the rain set in," said Kati.

"We've de-weeded the raised beds and cleared the moss off the paths and the grass."

"All the hard work is now done. Our next job is to build a shed to house all the gardening equipment."

She added: "National Student Volunteering Week is an excellent opportunity to promote the great work that our student volunteers do and to give people an opportunity to try volunteering with different organisations."

UCSU is working with a number of organisations to provide volunteering opportunities for its members.

Students are awarded with a certificate recording the numbers of hours they have worked. It is signed by the university's vice chancellor and community and partnership officer.