A range of volunteering opportunities to help improve local parks, riverbanks and nature reserves are available to anyone wanting to turn over a new leaf for the New Year.
The award-winning Leicester Environmental Volunteers scheme is run by the city council’s parks department and aims to help get people involved in a huge range of projects across the city.
Activities include community gardening, wildflower planting and a variety of conservation activities ranging from harvesting hazel to creating new wildlife habits. There are also opportunities to get on-board a GreenLife boat and help keep the waterways clear of debris, help keep local pond areas looking their best or spend the day as an island castaway.
Sessions run from Monday to Saturday at a range of locations. There are around 30 projects currently, with sessions lasting from two to five hours.
Victoria Hudson, city council community development manager, said: “Volunteering can be the perfect antidote those New Year’s resolutions that might have fallen by the wayside.
“The Leicester Environmental Volunteers scheme offers loads of different opportunities for people to try and most sessions just require a couple of hours of donated time. It’s a great way to meet new people, get active, learn new skills and do something positive to improve your local environment.
“If you looking to make a positive change for the New Year, we here to help you volunteer. It’s easy to register, free to take part and no previous experience is required.”
In the last year, the Leicester Environmental Volunteers scheme has helped around 5,700 volunteers to donate more than 46,000 hours of their time.
To find out more about the opportunities on offer, and register as a volunteer, visit www.leicester.gov.uk/parks-volunteering
