Our parks and open spaces benefit from volunteers who help to protect and preserve these important green spaces.
If you're planning on holding volunteer tasks days in our parks or open spaces, you'll need to let us know. You can do this by completing our online form. You can also use the form to tell us about any conservation or general maintenance activities carried out by volunteers.
You'll also need to submit
- a completed risk assessment for the site, including all tasks
- a cover note from your insurance company, if you have a private policy
You can visit our document page to download a copy of the risk assessment form.
If you do not tell us about a task or we've not given you permission for it, you will not be covered by our insurance.
Approved activities:
- litter-picking excluding handling of hypodermic needles
- on completion of task leader training:
- use of non-motorised power tools for general maintenance tasks. For example; shovel, spade, rake, hoe, brush, wheel barrow
- use of non-motorised power pruning tools. For example; loppers, secateurs, bow saw, shears
- cleaning of signage and other park furniture
- maintaining displayed information on notice boards
- making bird boxes, but not installing
- painting, where agreed and subject to COSHH assessment
- graffiti removal, subject to COSHH assessment
- timber fence and furniture repairs
- minor wall repairs. For example; dry stone wall with a maximum height of 4ft
- manual digging or excavation to a maximum depth of 3ft
- footpath repairs
- planting, where agreed, of bulbs, shrubs, trees, forbs, etc
- pruning below shoulder height
- maintenance of horticultural features by weeding, mulching, feeding and staking. For example; rose beds, shrub beds, planters, etc
- clearance of invasive weeds, subject to agreement
- toilet cleaning subject to COSHH assessment
- staffing of visitor centres and kiosks, subject to service level agreement and appropriate permissions
- volunteer guided nature and wildlife walks
- use of motorised power tools, subject to completion ot additional power tool training