JVN Blog

With summer well and truly upon us we thought it would be timely to go through the different volunteering opportunities that are available to do outdoors.  Whilst we can’t guarantee the British weather, there really are some amazing ways that you can volunteer outdoors and make a difference whilst working on your tan!

Below are a few to get you started:

1. Volunteer Team London is a fantastic starting place to look for outdoor volunteering opportunities.  If you have just two hours to spare and are green fingered then check out their latest opportunity to help clean up parks as part of “Love Parks Week”.  Friends of Enfield Playing Fields are looking for volunteers to help.  More details can be found here.

2. The National Trust is the perfect place to volunteer outdoors.  They have a plethora of volunteering opportunities from dry stone walking to woodland work, from maintaining fencing and pathways to counting butterflies.  You can also lead guided walks across moors, mountains, woodland and beaches.  For more details visit their site here.

3. During the summer months there are countless music and art festivals all around the UK.  Volunteering as a steward can be a perfect way to get to see your favourite bands for free!  If you would like to help out by doing anything from giving out wristbands to car parking, from giving directions to litter picking, then check out Oxfam’s site here which manages the stewards for all of the UK’s biggest festivals.

4. Sticking with the musical theme for the moment, one of the events JVN supports every year is Klezmer in the Park, a free Jewish music festival in Regents Park. You can volunteer from 10am-8pm on Sunday 7^th September this year to help deliver the event. E-mail Gil Karpas at gil.karpas@jmi.org.uk and copy in lia@jvn.org.uk, or visit their website here to find out more.

5. Love cycling?  Camden Council has volunteering opportunities for cyclists who want to share their passion with others and encourage other people to cycle in the local community.  For more information about their cycle champion programme and other sporting opportunities please click here.

6. Don’t mind getting your hands dirty?  Want to gain first hand experience of working and living on a farm?  World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) works with organic farms, gardens and smallholdings to provide a variety of different volunteering opportunities.  For more details explore their website here.

7. Want to be beside the seaside?  Then Beachwatch could be the perfect volunteering opportunity for you.  The “Great British Beach Clean” takes place from 19-22^nd September and is a great way to help keep British beaches clean.  For more information go here.

8. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) runs volunteering holidays and is a wonderful way to have a break and try something new whilst helping out a very worthwhile charity at the same time!  There are over 40 different places to stay throughout the UK.  To find out more about their residential volunteering visit here.

9. Not afraid of the water and don’t suffer from seasickness? Then volunteering for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a great way to make a difference.  Various opportunities are available from crewing the lifeboats to helping run a lifeboat station effectively.  More details are here.

There really are so many different types of outdoor volunteering opportunities available and whether you have a couple of hours spare or fancy going away for a week there is something for everyone, regardless of your age or skillset. For more opportunities register on www.jvn.org.uk contact lia@jvn.org.uk and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

How will you be spending this summer?  Do you fancy trying out one of the above, or maybe you already have something lined up?  Do let us know – we’d love to hear!  Please do share our post!