Volunteering Opportunities December
Get ready to celebrate International Volunteer Day this December by taking advantage of these new environmental volunteering opportunities below! These opportunities by external organisations are found all around the UK, require no prior experience, and are all free to join - so do get involved and invite your colleagues and friends. A quick reminder that some departments offer volunteering leave which can be used if approval is given from your manager.
London
Garden Volunteering in North London - every Tuesday and Friday
Harmony Gardens is a community growing space in the Lordship Recreation Ground in the heart of Tottenham. This hidden gem is a peaceful haven for wildlife and locals alike, with raised beds for growing organic vegetables, fruit trees and wildflowers.
Volunteer sessions run every Tuesday and Friday, from 11-5pm, and include regular planting/gardening jobs and DIY projects. Feel free to drop in for as much time as you'd like - there's no set commitment needed. They also run a free gardening skills course for all volunteers.
Brixton Orchard Volunteering - Thursdays from 1-3pm
Project run by the Brixton Business Improvement District. Occurs every fortnight on Thursdays from 1-3pm, and involves planting, caring for the orchard’s trees, cultivating and seed sowing. Can also drop in or leave at any time. Located right next to Brixton tube station[ZR1] .
South East
Rhododendron Clearance with Berkshire Biodiversity Team - Thursdays in December
Volunteer with The Conservation Volunteers to support invasive species management.
See link for more details - contact Jan by email at jan.trchalik@tcv.org.uk or by phone at 07731450839 to register interest. Please also remember to bring a packed lunch, suitable outdoor clothes and footwear.
Wildlife and Nature Restoration with Surrey Wildlife Trust - Multiple Dates in December
Join the Surrey Wildlife Trust’s staff and volunteers to undertake practical activities to help conserve the local environment. This includes scrub clearances, onsite maintenance, bramble cutting, willow coppicing, pond restoration, and more.
If you are not already a registered volunteer, please register your interest online here, or if you need more information email volunteers@surreywt.org.uk. Once registered your email address can then be added to the mailing list to receive the weekly update email on practical conservation days.
During a volunteer session, staff will run through the risk assessment at the start of each session. Volunteers will be required to verbally confirm they understand and accept the potential risks. Come prepared for the outdoors, wearing old clothes, sturdy boots, and waterproofs. You’ll also need to bring a packed lunch, plenty of water, and hand sanitiser. We’ll provide all the tools and safety equipment, tea kit and biscuits.
South West
Tree planting with Moor Trees at Dartmoor National Park - Thursdays and Sundays in December
Get involved in creating new woodland in Dartmoor and rewild South Devon. Join for a day tree planting at Two Bridges. Everything you need to know will be demonstrated and gloves and tools are provided. Biscuits, cakes and hot drinks will also be available, but you'll need to bring some sturdy shoes or boots, waterproofs, and packed lunch.
Volunteers take part in all aspects of our environmental work, including:
• Collecting seed from mature native woodlands and caring for the seedlings as they grow• Developing our tree nurseries by creating new planting beds and tending the young trees• Planting trees to create natural woodland on and around Dartmoor• Developing skills with a range of tools, used to manage recent planting sites and developing woodland
East
Community Food Growing in Bedford - every Tuesday in December
Join this new community food growing project organised by Kingsbrook and Cauldwell Community Food Growing! Learn new skills, meet new people, grow your own food! All tools and instruction will be provided and no previous experience is required to take part. First session will be on Tuesday 13th February 2024 and sessions will then run every Tuesday throughout the year from 10.45am until 1.30pm.
Wear suitable outdoor clothing and sturdy enclosed footwear and bring your own gardening gloves if you have some. The grop meet at 10.45am in front of the Bunyan Sports Centre on Mile Road, Bedford. For further information call Jen on 07740 899633.
North West
Volunteering at Manchester Community Woodlands - Anytime
Manchester Community Woodlands have a number of outdoor volunteering opportunities available! Tasks may include clearing vegetation, removing old fences, collecting tree tubes, litter picking and pruning trees – all of which help to enhance the woodlands for our many visitors, as well as improve habitats for the wildlife living in the woods.
No experience is needed as all tools and training are provided. Suitable clothing and footwear for the weather and outdoor tasks is recommended. See link for more details.
Wildlife Trust Practical Volunteering December - Anytime in December
The wildlife trust for Lancashire offer a range of regular volunteering opportunities to take part in, including a request for volunteers to join conservation work parties in North Lancashire to help carry out hands-on habitat management and site maintenance tasks
The trust carries out practical work on sites in North Lancashire (including Warton Crag, Aughton Woods, Freeman's Pools and Heysham Nature) on ad hoc Thursdays between 9.30am and 3.30pm. They are looking for individuals who have access to a car and will enjoy volunteering at different sites.
Yorkshire
Community Tree Planting Day in West Northumberland - Sunday 1st of December
Come and join us during National Tree Week for a day of planting 2000 trees and helping our environment at Gilsland, West Northumberland. We will plant a variety of native trees including willow, alder, hawthorn, aspen and birch. The planting area is less than half a mile walk through farmland, up onto moorland, where we will be planting the trees along a series of gullies. The project is in partnership with The Natural World Fund, with the aim to improve habitat within the landscape.
The planting area is less than half a mile walk through farmland, up onto moorland, where we will be planting the trees along a series of gullies. We'll provide all the tools and guidance, please bring your own gloves if you have them along with a packed lunch and hot drink. Wear sturdy boots and appropriate clothing.We will be working out car sharing arrangements from Hexham.
Contact volunteering@living-woods.org.uk if you have any questions.
Wales
Trees & Science with The Carbon Community in Glandwr Forest - Saturday 7th December
Assist with and be part of the Carbon Community’s landmark carbon study which aims to help trees absorb more carbon from the air by accelerating tree growth and improving soil biodiversity. Record and measure tree diameters and heights, contributing to research on natural approaches, forest microbiome inoculation and enhanced rock weathering, which have been proven in the lab and are now being studied in a large-scale field trial.
The address is The Carbon Community, Cynghordy, Llandovery SA20 0LW.
Scotland
Volunteering Open Day at the Zero Waste Hub in Edinburgh - Friday 6th December
Induction for the SHRUB cooperative, a community-led cooperative in Edinburgh working for a world without waste. They deliver innovative waste prevention, creative reuse and repair practices using Circular Economy at the Zero Waste Hub, and share food, donates clothes, repairs bikes and offers a ‘swap’ shop.
This session will give you all the information you need to get started on volunteering at the Hub, which involves helping with the swapshop, front of house, finance and fundraising.
Northern Ireland
Help with Peatland Restoration by Picking a Christmas Tree - Saturday 7th December
Ulster Wildlife are leading a major peatland restoration programme at Haughey’s Bog in County Tyrone – in partnership with An Creagán – and are inviting the public to get involved in a unique and festive way. Located in Creggan, South of the Sperrin National Landscape.
Haughey’s Bog, which was heavily degraded due to past commercial peat extraction, is now being restored to its natural, healthy state. Years of drainage have dried out the bog and allowed invasive Sitka spruce trees from nearby plantations to take over, threatening its recovery.
Removing these trees is a crucial step in bringing the bog back to life and will rewet the bog, allowing peatland plants and wildlife to thrive once more. While we wouldn’t typically encourage single-use Christmas trees, in this case, removing the invasive Sitka spruce is vital for the recovery of this precious peatland habitat.
The event will run from 10:30 am to 1:00 pm, with pre-booked time slots. Booking is essential.
Paths for Everyone Path Clearing in Belfast - Saturday 7th December
This day will focus on litter picking, cutting back overhanging greenery, sweeping and scrapping back overgrown path edges to ensure that the clear width of the path is available for all users of the greenway. If you have your own gloves and secateurs, loppers please bring them for you to use. The team will provide long handles, tools and some hand tools along with hi vis for the group.
Meet the group at the Centre of Excellence on Comber Road (Dundonald crossing point on the Comber Greenway) just outside of Belfast at 09.30 on Saturday, and be ready to walk or cycle to the task location for the morning. You can access the greenway by Sandown Road crossing.