Friends of Parks groups seeking new committee members

The numerous Friends of Parks we support carry out vital work to improve and promote their local parks by bringing in funding for initiatives, raising awareness and actively conserving green spaces. If you have a few hours to spare, you could make a great contribution to a local park or green space by lending a hand. Below are a number of the current vacancies available at a few of the Friends of Parks groups along with their contact information:

Updated July 2023

Friends of the River Crane Environment (FORCE)

There are a number of opportunities for volunteers who have some time to spare and are passionate about the environment including the green spaces along the lower River Crane corridor.

Volunteer Sundays Lead – Organise and manage our monthly Volunteer Sundays/practical conservation work days held on the second Sunday of the month between October and June.

New Chair (from 1st April 2024) – Lead and shape the priorities and activities of the charity in delivering its environmental and educational objectives, working in partnership with local communities, local authorities, private-sector developers and stakeholders and other environmental groups.

Planning Lead – Lead FORCE’s planning interactions with local landowners and developers to enhance the local environment, promote biodiversity and improve access for residents, visitors and their families.

Organiser for our Duke of Edinburgh Award students – Manage our successful ‘Volunteering’ Duke of Edinburgh Award programme.

Admin support – There are several opportunities available to help provide technical support (website administration, email domain and membership support), support our Communications (newsletters, social media and mailings to members) and support FORCE’s Walks &Talks (joining our walks and basic Eventbrite set up)

More information on volunteering with FORCE, including role descriptions for the volunteering opportunities, is available on our website at: https://www.force.org.uk/get-involved/

For an informal chat about any of these opportunities, please contact FORCE at: info@force.org.uk

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Updated June 2023

Friends of Ham Lands

Secretary

• Prepare agendas for meetings every other month and circulate
• Write minutes of meetings and circulate with agreed actions
• Book a meeting room at Ham Library
• Occasionally meet with chair and others between committee meetings to discuss issues as arising
• Chase progress regarding agreed actions, deadlines etc

Sounds of Nature Volunteer-Support in Recording the Sounds of Nature project.

Operate equipment to record some of the sounds of nature on Ham Lands so that we can share with the wider community.
Tasks:
• Support recording sounds
• Support sharing the sounds

Nature Conservation Volunteers 

• Practical conservation work includes cutting back plants that are spreading too much or growing too densely. These can include bramble, hawthorn, ground cover ivy and a lot more.
• Sharing observations. If you have a favourite walk, share observations of flora and/or the fauna. This will help us understand better the impact of climate change and our intervention
• Monitoring. If you are interested in getting involved in more detailed monitoring and/or consolidation of data please get in touch.

Support Management of Conservation Work

Support the existing volunteer in working closely with key FoHL members, Richmond’s ecology officer, and contractors to determine management work and review the impact of intervention.

For any of the above positions please contact: Chris and Sharon at friendsofhamlands@hamunitedgroup.org.uk

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Ham United Group – Communications Volunteer

Help with marketing and social media (Facebook, twitter, website & newsletter). The main purpose of the role is to communicate our vision and mission and to promote our events and activities. The time commitment is approximately an hour a week (home based and on your own time). “• In agreement with the Committee, devise and post regular content designed to update and engage people about the work of the Group.
• Design digital flyers and posters
• Assist with collating a quarterly newsletter
• Attend committee meetings and liaise with others in the group to generate content
• Ideally, keep website up to date when new content is generated
• Ideally, help organise and attend our events occasionally

Please contact: info@hamunitedgroup.org.uk

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Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare Trust is looking – Trustee/Treasurer

Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare in Hampton was built in 1756 by David Garrick to celebrate the genius of William Shakespeare. It is open to the public and available for hire for various events.

The Temple is managed by the ten Trustees of the Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare Trust. The trust is currently looking for a new Treasurer, as their current treasurer wishes to retire after twelve years’ service

The Treasurer’s duties include:

• Overseeing the financial position of the Trust
• The presentation of reports of the financial position of the Trust to the Trustees at their meetings
• The preparation of annual accounts
• The submission to HMRC of the claim for gift aid tax repayment
• The preparation of the annual return and its submission to the Charity Commission

Please email Garrickstempletoshakespeare@gmail.com to learn more or express your interest.

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Hampton Hill Association ( HHA )

• Web Site Manager: Need someone to keep it up to date as required
• Magazine/ Newsletter Editor (Could be a shared role): The aim is to produce at least 2 ideally 3 per year for our members
• Secretary: Take brief minutes of 4 meetings a year and also the AGM and send them as soon as possible after each meeting.
• Planning Advisor: The ideal candidate will have knowledge/interest and be able to keep an eye on applications once a month and report back on any controversial ones that affect the local village, High Street, Businesses and Residents.

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Friends of Hatherop Park & Oak Avenue Reserve – Various roles

Committee Roles:

• Secretary – Managing meetings, minutes and memberships!
• Publicity Officer – Developing publicity materials, noticeboard, website& newsletter content.
• Events Officer – Help with the organisation of events, maintenance tasks, litter-picks & fundraisers.
• Funding Officer – Working with the Treasurer. Help with public fund applications & fundraising events.

Informal Roles:

• Park Wardens – We now have a Whatsapp group set up for our Park Wardens. With no time commitment required, our wardens help us with tackling litter, maintenance tasks etc. by reporting it to the group. It’s a large area to cover so the more eyes we have, the quicker we can respond to issues requiring attention.
• Event Assistants – interested in litter picks, conservation tasks or wildlife surveys etc? Help us set these events up or help run it on the day!

Contact hatheroakav@gmail.com with your interest or for more information.

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Friends of North Sheen Rec (Kew) – Chair

If you would like to learn more about the role as a Chair for this group, please get in touch with friendsnsr@gmail.com 

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Past vacancies – (Updated in 2022) Feel free to contact the groups below and ask whether you can still volunteer with them:

Friends of Kneller Gardens (West Twickenham) – treasurer
The treasurer manages the funds coming into and being spent by the group, attends committee meetings and helps out in other ways. The role would ideally suit someone who uses Kneller Gardens in Twickenham. If you are interested in finding out more or applying, please email  knellergardens@yahoo.co.uk and groups@habitatsandheritage.org.uk  

Friends of Feltham Green (Feltham) – Secretary and member who can help with the following 

You can read the volunteer role description here and for any enquiries please contact Angela at felthamgreen@outlook.com

Friends of Heathfield Rec and Environs (Heathfield in Whitton) – treasurer and secretary
The treasurer manages the funds coming into and being spent by the group, attends committee meetings and helps out in other ways. The secretary takes the minutes of the committee meetings and helps organise the committee meetings. Both roles would ideally suit people who use Heathfield Recreation ground in Whitton. If you are interested in finding out more or applying, please email friendsofheathfieldrec@gmail.com  

Friends of North Sheen Rec (Kew) – environment role or marketing/comms.
The environment role would help the committee device and undertake environmental projects, keep an eye on the species and habitats in the park and bring information to the committee. The marketing and comms role would help the group put out comms and engage and involve local schools. Both roles would ideally suit people who use North Sheen Recreation Ground in Kew. If you are interested in finding out more or applying, please email friendsnsr@gmail.com 

Friends of Murray Park (Whitton) – dogs lead
The role is to link the group to the people who walk their dogs in the park and be a voice for them on the committee. The role would ideally suit someone who walks their dog/s in Murray Park in Whitton.  If you are interested in finding out more or applying, please email friendsofmurraypark@gmail.com