Volunteering
Volunteering at the gardens offers people the chance to make a difference in the local community. Not only does it enable you to tend to the gardens and get involved in events but it is also a chance to meet new people, learn new skills and give time to others.
New volunteers often have no experience of gardening and are supported by staff and other volunteers.
Many of our volunteers are referred to us by other agencies in the borough and have some support needs. Regular volunteers find they experience improvements to health and wellbeing as a result of working outside with nature and undertaking physical activity.
How to get involved
There are many ways to get involved in our work but initially we ask people who are interested in volunteering their time to attend one of our monthly introduction sessions that are held on the first Wednesday of the month or to attend our drop in volunteering sessions at Loris Garden on the first Sunday of the month. Please email volunteering@hcga.org.uk for more information.
Grow Well – Volunteer sessions for individuals
Through our 12 week programme (Tuesdays 10am – 12pm) volunteers are able to try a range of practical gardening activities. This programme is aimed at people who initially need a bit of extra support to increase their confidence and hopefully leading to participate in our regular volunteering sessions. A number of our existing volunteers also attend the sessions in the role of peer mentors and this allows new volunteers to undertake activities at their own pace. At the end of the programme volunteers have an individual review and are signposted on to other suitable sessions within the organisation or externally.
Grow Well – Volunteer sessions for carers
Our termly programme for carers (Tuesdays 1-3pm) includes a wide range of gardening related activities. The relaxed sessions allow carers to take a break from their caring responsibilities as well as learning new skills and trying new activities.
Get Out There!
Through our weekly Friday volunteer sessions participants learn a range of useful and rewarding new skills in basic environmental management. Gain practical conservation management skills, experience in tool use, improve your wildlife identification and lots more! Volunteers get the opportunity to visit larger more varied sites across West London such as woodlands, wetlands and meadows, as well as our own sites and gardens in Hammersmith. Our sessions are open to adults who want to try something new and Get Out There!
We are particularly interested in working with people who have been long term unemployed. You don’t need any experience to join in. For more information please look at the Get Out There! page.
Weekly Gardening Sessions
Ravenscourt Park Glasshouses: Mondays 10AM – 12PM
At the glasshouses we grow flowers, fruit and vegetables for Loris and Godolphin Gardens, plant sales, schools and nurseries.
Phoenix School Farm: Tuesdays and Fridays 10am – 1pm, Thursdays 2-6pm (April – September), Saturdays 10am-1pm (April-July)
Assist with the upkeep of the farm including seed sowing, planting, harvesting and watering. These volunteer sessions for adults run all year round and require a regular commitment. The Saturday and Thursday sessions are drop in and are open to volunteers to work on the farm combined with families who wish to visit the site and do some gardening.
Queens Park Gardens, W10 4QT: Thursdays 10am-1pm.
A drop in weekly gardening group who maintain many areas in the park, mainly the rose garden and community orchard. Tools, gloves and biscuits provided!
Monthly Workdays
Loris Garden: 11am – 3pm first Sunday of the month
Regular upkeep of Loris Garden is undertaken at monthly drop in gardening days. Tasks will include planting, watering, mowing, weeding, pond clearance, wildlife surveys as well as seasonal activities such as pruning, bulb planting and leaf sweeping. Stay for an hour or stay all day. Please check the events page for dates and further information.
Other ways to contribute
We welcome volunteers with many different skills, not just gardeners. Skills can range from: event organisation, art and design, wildlife surveyors, legal knowledge, photography, plant propagation, financial knowledge, musical interest, conservation, accountancy, leafleting, office skills and construction skills.
In our own words…
“I’ve been volunteering with HCGA for nine months now. It’s a great opportunity to get outside and help out with the gardens and the company is pretty good too!” Mairi Brookes
Sessional work
HCGA has a pool of sessional staff and we are always interested in hearing from people who have the following skills and are looking for part-time or occasional work:
Good gardening or food growing skills and experience
Good people skills
The ability to work unsupervised
The ability to plan and lead sessions
Experience of working with volunteers or children
To apply please e mail your CV to info@hcga.org.uk, applications will considered on an on-going basis.
