Volunteering
Volunteering at the gardens offers you the chance to make a difference in your local community. It will enable you to help improve our local environment while meeting new people, learning new skills and giving back.
New volunteers don’t have to have 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. We ask people making referrals on behalf of clients to first attend one of our monthly Professional Tours so that they can get an understanding of the capacity of HCGA and our different programmes. People who volunteer regularly find they experience improvements to health and wellbeing as a result of working outside with nature and undertaking physical activity.
Please fill in this expression of interest form or email volunteering@hcga.org.uk for more information about any of the programmes listed below.
Grow Well at Ravenscourt Glasshouses: Tuesdays
This 12-week health and wellbeing project is for anyone who has struggled with poor mental or physical health, and needs a gentle introduction to volunteer gardening. Activities include gardening, making herbal products, cooking and nature activities.
Get Out There!: Fridays
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 more. Volunteers will have opportunities to visit 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.
Ravenscourt Park Glasshouses: Wednesdays
At the glasshouses we grow flowers, fruit and vegetables for Loris and Godolphin Gardens, plant sales, schools and nurseries. These volunteer sessions for adults run all year round and require a regular commitment.
Phoenix Farm in White City: Tuesday and Friday mornings PLUS SUMMER DROP-INS
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.
This spring and summer we are offering free drop-in sessions for families and people of all ages:
- Thursday evenings 4:30-6pm
- Saturday mornings 10am-1pm
No booking required. Children must attend with a parent/ carer. No gardening experience required.
Normand Park Community Allotments (W14): Tuesday afternoons
A drop in weekly gardening group at the community growing beds in Normand Park. We grow vegetables and flowers to share. Tools, gloves and biscuits provided!
Earl’s Court Community Garden (Aisgill Avenue W14): Thursday mornings 10-12
A weekly gardening group to maintain the ornamental side of the garden and set up some brand new food growing beds on the site. Tools, gloves and biscuits provided!
Queens Park Gardens: Thursday mornings 10-12
A weekly gardening group to maintain the rose garden. Tools and gloves provided.
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.
