You’re welcome to join us if you have time on your hands and are looking for a way to get active, meet new folks, and be involved in managing a local park.
We meet at Winsford Gardens every Wednesday, 11am -2pm, and get our hands dirty maintaining and improving biodiversity in the park, as well as recycling natural materials when creating and mending features.
As a relatively small park in Penge, we sometimes need to limit the number of volunteers. Volunteers should be 16 or older, and special arrangements can be made for those supported by a carer.
Do arrive early so we can have you complete a short health questionnaire before our Warm Up exercises and talk about the safe use of tools.
The planned tasks for that week are discussed and volunteers are free to choose which of these tasks they would like to participate in. If none of those tasks appeal, there is always other work needed to be done in the garden.
While we are now occasionally working in Royston Field too, please meet us in Winsford Gardens first.
Do I need any equipment – safety boots or gloves?
Strong old shoes or boots will suffice. Unless we are digging holes or building something then you won’t need safety boots. Trainers are not recommended and Sandals are not suitable.
Bring warm clothing if it is cold and waterproofs if wet weather is forecast. In the winter it can be quite exposed and we have nowhere to shelter. Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. We can provide gloves for you, but bring your own if you have them..
In Summer, please bring a hat. We will provide sun lotion and water to drink.
It is recommended that you should check that your Tetanus inoculations are up to date when doing any gardening.
Will I need to bring food with me (if you have a break)?
We have a short break at approximately 12.30 for tea or coffee, bananas and biscuits (all provided free to volunteers.) Some people do bring along sandwiches, but most do not bother.
Is there a toilet?
Unfortunately we don’t have toilet facilities on the site. A composting toilet for volunteers is a project we currently have in discussion but which was held up because of a planning dispute over the garden boundaries. We do have arrangements to have access to toilet facilities that are about 200 yards away.
How can I get one of your t-shirts?
A t-shirt may be awarded after you attend your fourth full session (while stocks last.) Unfortunately, they are not for sale! It is a kind of reward for service. So, you will need to earn it!
Do I have to come every week? Is there a minimum commitment?
No, whether you join us every week is entirely up to you. There are no contracts to sign at our Gym! Come along initially and see if it is for you or not, and if you can’t come every week, just turn up when you can. You’ll be welcome whenever you can make it!
Can I come along later on?
We do have to insist that you turn up at the beginning even if occasionally you cannot work for a whole session and wish to leave early. The Warm Up exercises and the Tool Talk given at the start for safety are important to prevent injuries. It is also inconvenient for the leaders to have to give task instructions several times, and it also helps with our planning of tasks for the day if we know the exact numbers who will be attending. Please do turn up on time!
Can I come on a different day? Can I work longer hours?
We have no plans at present to work on any additional days. The Green Gym format of three hours work is one that suits the needs of many people. There are opportunities to work on Fridays with Bromley Green Gym or on other days with other London Green Gyms. Please note that Whitehall Green Gym in Bromley Common has now closed.
There are opportunities to work for whole full days with Croydon TCV or with other similar local gardening and conservation organisations such as the Crystal Palace Transition Town, the London Wildlife Trust, the Ravensbourne River Bankside Management, the Canal and Rivers Trust, with ZSL (the Zoological Society of London) as a Citizen Scientist, or with the National Trust or Trees For Cities or Thames 21 or their 3Rivers CleanUp. We can provide you with further details of these other local groups.
There are Friends of Parks Groups right across the London Borough of Bromley from small urban parks to large open common land. The Bromley Friends Forum acts on behalf of all Bromley friends groups and here is a list of Bromley Park Friends Groups. If you are interested in starting a new Friends group then you can register your interest at Bromley Friends of Parks where you can also volunteer as a Street or Tree Friend.
If you are looking for other opportunities besides being a friend of parks, you could try out some of the volunteering schemes mentioned here: Bromley Conservation Volunteering.
Friends groups for public green spaces across London but outside of Bromley borough are represented by the London Friends of Green Spaces Network
We would ask any budding Guerrilla Gardeners to please refrain from working in Winsford Gardens as we have a carefully developed programme of works planned for the park in conjunction with the landowners, LB of Bromley, and their contractors, id verde.
Don’t you have any Outdoor Gym equipment?
Sorry, but we are just not that kind of Gym. We are strictly shovels, forks, mattocks and dirt. Our equipment is floral gloves and a rake! You will not find any weights, treadmills, strength machines, or sanitizing wipes. However, we do have work in Spades! We dig the earth, grow our own and shed the pounds. We passionately believe in the combined health benefits of gardening and exercising outdoors in the fresh air.
If you are looking for Outdoor Gym equipment then there is some from the TGO Britain range for you to use free in the nearby Betts Park on Anerley Road. You can read more about that at Bromley Outdoor Gyms
All this sounds great but you are much too far away for me to travel?
There are plenty of other Green Gyms all over the UK. The Green Gym concept was the idea of Dr William Bird and the first Green Gym was piloted in 1997 in Sonning Common. Green Gym is a registered trade mark of The Conservation Volunteers (TCV.) Here is a list of TCV maintained Green Gyms. Here is a list of other TCV Community Groups including Community Green Gyms. If there isn’t a Green Gym in your location, why not start your own?
For more information about volunteering with us, please contact using the contact form: here
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