A GROUP from Oxford University is set to burst the student bubble and help out in the community in their adopted city.

Community Action Groups Oxfordshire and the Student Consultancy have teamed up to pair Students with groups in Oxfordshire working on sustainability projects.

Seven teams of five students will spend eight weeks working on everything from market research, to stock management, supporting some of the county’s most innovative environmental groups.

Anna Hoffman, 21, who is studying history and politics and lives in Oxford city centre, is part of a group working on funding and market research for Barracks Lane Community Garden in East Oxford.

She said: “It sounded like a very good opportunity to get some real experience and work with the local community instead of living always in the student bubble.

“We have been down to the garden and had a chat with the guardian trustees and have already put together a proposal letter.

“I am definitely looking forward to getting more involved in the community.”

Other projects which will get help from some of the city’s finest young minds include Sandford Farmer’s Market, which will receive assistance with stock management.

Hogacre Common eco park will also benefit from a business, funding and publicity plan, and Dean Court Community Centre will see students working on a marketing strategy for the centre which is currently being rebuilt. Community Action Groups project officer Peter Lefort said: “It’s great for the communities because it’s a fresh perspective.

“Students are often not really included in community activities, but the very fact they are here, studying in Oxford, suggests they are at the top of their game.

“They have skills and ideas and it would be a massively wasted opportunity not to tap into that.”

The results of the eight-week projects will be showcased at an event in July, and if successful, it is planned to continue running the link-up for each of the university’s eight-week terms, choosing different projects and schemes dependent on what skills the students have to offer.