Community Volunteering (do good on your doorstep!)
TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) is England’s charity where volunteers spend weekends planting trees, clearing paths, picking up rubbish, building hedges, stiles and dry-stone walls, restoring pathways – and handing out cuppas to new friends!
All the volunteer projects are supported by trained leaders, with safety briefings sand tools/protective clothing. It’s a great way to spend your free time, get fit, make new friends and make a difference!
CRB checks apply for ex-offenders and volunteering officers who work with vulnerable people.
There are also ‘Green Gyms’ which have warm-ups and cool-downs’, as alternatives to expensive gyms with sweaty people on machines!
Just enter your postcode to find upcoming projects to join in with. You also get to learn new skills, which could even set you off on a new career path!
If planting green spaces, read up on pet-friendly gardens and wildlife-friendly gardens. If planting trees, know of trees to avoid near horses (including yew, oak and sycamore).
I take three buses to be able to join the group I love it so much. The community spirit, the ability to get together with friends and be in nature makes it more than worth the trip. TCV Volunteer
Typical TCV Volunteering Opportunities
We typed in an example London postcode, and the site came up with the following opportunities, to give you an idea of what needs doing!
- Restoring marsh pools to create dragonfly habitats
- Marshland restoration in North London
- Planting a nature garden for a Haringey school
- Building raised beds to grow food (Green Gym)
- Planting wildflower meadows in Leyton (Green Gym)
Free Trees for Communities and Schools!
I Dig Trees is a project of TCV, which hands out native tree packs to communities, who wish to restore woodlands and wildlife habitats. Whether you want to plant a pocket forest or plant trees to attract more pollinators, there’s a pack for you!
The trees must be planted on publicly accessible land (not on private domestic property). It also provides pack for schools to plant fruit orchards.
More Tree Planting Volunteer Ideas
Planting native trees and shrubs supports wildlife, helps improve air quality, and creates new habitats for birds and insects. Many groups host autumn and winter planting sessions. Habitat restoration can also mean clearing scrub, sowing wildflowers, or repairing damaged areas.
- Trees for Cities gets people involved in planting trees on streets and in urban areas, use the app to check if your council is signed up, then choose a park or street.
- The Orchard Project has nationwide volunteers to plant (and care for) trees to provide free fruit and nuts for communities. This restores veteran orchards, and creates wildlife habitats.
- Incredible Edible began in Yorkshire, and is now a worldwide movement to grow free food for communities: trees, herbs at railway stations and vegetable gardens in schools).
Volunteer to Clean Up England’s Canals
By the waterside, you can volunteer as part of the Towpath Taskforce with Canal & River Trust to help restore historic canals.
From lock-painting to hedge-planting or simply clearing litter and weeding gardens, the taskforce leader will run through what’s to be done, assign tasks and demonstrate safe use of equipment.
Keep dogs on leads near canals (especially near ducks) and likewise children, as banks are steep. Don’t swim in canals, rivers carry disease.
Read More on Conservation Volunteering
Wild Service: Why Nature Needs You is a rallying call to the new army of nature’s defenders. So whether you live in the countryside or city, and want to protect your local river (or save native flora) this is your invite to rediscover the power in participation – the sacred in the service.
Volunteer for The GoodGym Community
GoodGym is a nationwide community of almost 25,000 volunteers (the no-contract optional £7 donation uses profits to help isolated older people).
Members are profiled online, so adjust the privacy options, to avoid your profile being public, if wished.
Examples of ‘fitness tasks’ carried out are:
- Planting trees in local parks
- Cleaning up community centres
- Volunteer gardening
- Helping older people with home maintenance
- Sorting cans in food banks
Community Gardening: Growing Veg
Spending a morning planting and weeding in a community garden is hard work. You use muscles often missed in normal routines, like your back, arms and legs.
No-dig gardening is also calming and you see the results of your work. Fresh air, teamwork and a shared meal after make this a standout volunteering choice.
Dog Walking for Local Shelters
Dog shelters often need volunteers to walk, play with, and socialize their animals. Each step you take with a dog means better fitness for you and a boost for your mental health.
You’re not just strolling around the block. Volunteer dog walking usually means brisk walks, energetic playtime, and sometimes handling big, strong pups. You’ll be outside, moving every part of your body while bonding with furry friends.
Many charities and care agencies welcome people to walk dogs, for older and disabled guardians. Shelters also welcome volunteer workers (happier walked dogs are more likely to be adopted).
Canal and Litter Clean-Ups
Community clean-ups (like local litter-picks from parks, rivers, or canals) ask you to bend, squat, reach, and carry bags of collected trash. These activities give you a mini workout every time you volunteer.
You might be surprised at how physical it can be:
- Squatting and bending over: Works your legs, back, and core.
- Carrying trash bags or objects: Builds grip strength and endurance.
- Walking along lengthy trails or riverbanks: Adds steady cardio.
Tree-Planting and Conservation Projects
Tree-planting brings together fresh air, nature, and hard work. These projects need volunteers to dig holes, move plants, and carry water or mulch. It’s a hands-on fitness boost for people of all ages.
Tasks like these use a mix of upper and lower body strength, plus a good amount of balance and mobility. They’re more than just squats and lunges in the great outdoors.
Typical physical tasks include:
- Shovelling earth and filling holes for saplings
- Hauling mulch or compost
- Watering trees, which sometimes means walking a distance with heavy cans
- Stretching, balancing, and sometimes climbing or crouching
Coaching and Organizing Local Sports
Youth teams and adult recreational leagues all run on the efforts of volunteers. Whether you’re leading soccer practice, refereeing basketball, or organizing park runs, you stay on your feet and keep your mind engaged.
Coaching means:
- Leading warmups, drills, and games that keep your heart rate up
- Chasing after stray balls or showing kids how to do a drill
- Standing, squatting, running, or throwing—sometimes all at once
Volunteer as Lifeboat Crew
This can save lives, and get you fit at the same time. Volunteer lifeboat crew are always needed to rescue people and dogs, and will also keep you fit!
RNLI runs 238 lifeboat stations and 441 lifeboats in the fleet (including relief and hovercrafts). In 2023, their lifeguards covered 238 beaches and some of them are volunteers. They also saved 86 lives.
