Green space volunteering

Volunteers are an integral part of the councils activities. The time, experience, knowledge and skills that they offer in support of our work is highly valued. If you enjoy being outdoors in nature and want to keep fit, meet like-minded people and learn new skills, then conservation volunteering could be for you!

There are several ways that you can volunteer to help look after council green spaces:

• as part of a corporate volunteering session with your company or organisation
  
• volunteering for a specific and regular role with the council
  
• ad hoc volunteering at council-run work parties
  
• joining one of the borough’s local green space volunteer groups

These green space volunteering opportunities are explained in detail in our guide for green space volunteers and summarised below.

If you are interested in becoming a conservation volunteer for one of our established groups, sign up and we will be in touch with more information.

Sign up for conservation volunteering

Corporate volunteering

For organisations based in the borough looking for volunteer opportunities for employees as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility, the council can organise and deliver corporate volunteer days undertaking practical conservation work in one of the council’s green spaces.

The main conservation season runs outside of bird nesting season, which means scrub and woodland management for the year needs to be within the six-month window from September to February. Some work can be undertaken into March, but only when surveys have proven there will be no disturbance to nesting. During this time we can offer a variety of enjoyable practical tasks, which not only help make the site better for both wildlife and local residents but also provide some great team bonding opportunities outside of the usual office environment.

Typical activities for your corporate volunteering day include:

• using hand tools to clear scrub (small trees) off meadow areas
• coppicing and thinning woodlands
• clearing out and opening up watercourses
• other hands-on practical conservation tasks

If you are interested in employee or corporate volunteering then please contact us at wildlifeconservation@basingstoke.gov.uk.

Local green space groups

The council is fortunate to have many local conservation, wildlife and green space groups helping to maintain, conserve and improve public open spaces for the benefit of wildlife and residents.

Details about these groups, the sites they work on and the activities they undertake can be found on our conservation groups page.

You don’t have to have any previous practical experience to help! If outdoor physical work isn’t your thing, you can also get involved in other ways, such as supporting groups at events, undertaking wildlife surveys, or helping with social media and marketing.

If you are a volunteer with a local green space group, you can find support to help coordinate your group and activities on our conservation group support page.

For further information about any of the volunteer opportunities listed above, please contact wildlifeconservation@basingstoke.gov.uk