Sheffield is proud of its rich variety of parks, woodlands and countryside. We are always looking for volunteers to help us look after our City's fantastic green spaces.
If you have spare time, and you enjoy being in the great outdoors, we would love to hear from you.
Volunteer activities
These can include:
- woodland management
- dry stone walling
- bench installation
- park maintenance
- tidy-ups
- horticulture
- caring for livestock
- ecology surveys
- education
- event support
- habitat management and much more
Volunteering creates great opportunities
By volunteering you can:
- meet new people
- learn new skills
- get physically active
- make a difference to Sheffield's Parks and Woodland
- learn more about Sheffield's green spaces and how to look after them
- have fun in the great outdoors
- help the public engage with and learn about green spaces
Where and when you can volunteer
Weekly Task Force
We are currently running a Weekly Task Force programme of volunteer sessions throughout the year. Volunteers can join in these sessions on a casual basis, so you can come just once or as often as you like.
Weekly Task Force volunteers help us with a variety of practical tasks to improve the City's green spaces.
The volunteer sessions are supported by our Rangers and Sheffield Woodland Environmental Enhancement Project (SWEEP).
Locations for the tasks change every week, and transport is provided from the meeting points to the site and back. Pre-booking for these sessions is essential, therefore please contact us in advance to secure your place.
The sessions usually start at 9.30am and volunteers meet at the following locations:
Park's volunteers weekly task force schedule:
| Day | SWEEP |
|---|---|
| Monday | No session |
| Tuesday | Meet at Woodland Discovery Centre in Ecclesall Woods |
| Wednesday | Meet at Woodland Discovery Centre in Ecclesall Woods |
| Thursday | Meet at Woodland Discovery Centre in Ecclesall Woods |
| Friday | Meet at Woodland Discovery Centre in Ecclesall Woods |
| Saturday | No session |
| Sunday | No session |
We do not run any sessions on Saturday, but we do work with Friends Groups and other community volunteers.
Volunteering at Shire Brook Valley
The volunteer workdays are every Wednesday 10am to 2:30pm at Shire Brook Valley and surrounding sites.
We meet at the visitor center on Stone Lane S13 7BR. There is a free car park just before the visitor center that can be used by volunteers.
Make sure to wear sensible footwear, old clothing and bring lunch. We will provide a hot drink and biscuits.
We also meet one Sunday a month for a workday. Look out for posters including the dates for this, or you can check our Facebook for more details.
Education and event volunteering at Sheffield Botanical Gardens
We're looking for education and engagement volunteers who can help to create activities for schools and events at Sheffield Botanical Gardens.
This volunteering will take place on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the day in term time. Previous experience of working with young people or in any aspect of education is desirable.
We also run sporadic events in the Gardens, where volunteers have the opportunity to help with stewarding and providing activities.
If this sounds like something you'd like to get involved in, please let us know.