Blue Water Day!

A group of RBC staff swapped suits for scythes as they took part in an afternoon of stream restoration and invasive plant removal on the south coast.

As part of Royal Bank of Canada’s global RBC Blue Water Day, staff were involved in removing non-forest plants and restoring a stream which runs through a wooded area of Fermain Valley, with the aims of improving the habitat and increasing biodiversity.

The activity was supported and organised by La Societe Guernesiaise, with Anthony Stagg on hand to lead direction: "It was a beautiful afternoon in which to clear an overabundance of non-native plants which had taken over the area. Many people might not regard fuchsias as invasive plants but if left to their own devices, as they had here, they will quickly take over a whole area, stopping any other types of plants from growing. Thanks to the hard work of staff at RBC Wealth Management, we now have an area of the woodland cleared, where our native bluebells can flourish, as well as low-lying ivy which is important for a balanced ecosystem."

Francis Binney, Environmental Officer for RBC Wealth Management said: "In addition, staff also cleared vegetation which was starting to clog up the main valley stream that runs through Fermain. This will also stop the invasive species from spreading downstream. RBC Blue Water Day is part of our global RBC Blue Water Project™; a ten year commitment to protecting one of the world’s most important resources and we are glad to have played our part in that today."

RBC Blue Water Day took place on Thursday June 4 and saw over 24,000 employees across 26 countries take part in a diverse range of over 800 activities.