Ways to Help

Volunteering with Andover Trees United is a great way to contribute to action against climate change and biodiversity loss, and to make a difference in the local community. Our 44-acre site includes native deciduous woodland, chalk grassland, wildflower meadow, hazel thickets which will be coppiced, hedgerows, and a pond - all vital habitats providing resources for a wide range of species. The site is also a space for the local community to enjoy, learn about, gain understanding of, and connect to the natural world, through the events, sessions, and activities we run (or just by going for a walk!).

Our volunteers tend to the wood, raise and care for the trees in the allotment nursery bed, sow and grow the wildflowers to be planted in the wood and elsewhere, get involved in events, and do a lot of behind-the-scenes work. Regulars find they experience improvements to health and wellbeing as a result of working outside with nature and undertaking physical activity.

Any spare time you can offer - whether it's an hour or a day, once a week or once a year - is greatly appreciated. Every time you volunteer you contribute to making a positive impact on the woodland, our local community, and the national and global environment. If you would like to volunteer or to find out more, please email michelle.graham@andovertrees.org.uk.

By volunteering your time, you automatically become a member of Andover Trees United. We encourage all members to contribute to decision-making and play as active a part in the running of the charity as you are able to. There are no membership fees.

Volunteer Conservation Days

If you enjoy practical outdoor work such as gardening, growing, practical conservation tasks, and maintenance work, then we have our Volunteer Conservation Days are for you! Tasks vary throughout the year - see our Digging It blog for recent activities. No experience is necessary, new volunteers are supported.

Monday Workdays:

10am to 1pm, every Monday.

At the allotment, we look after surplus tree whips between planting seasons and raise trees and wildflowers from seed. In the wood, routine tasks include beating up (replacing tree whips that have died), mulching, replacing lost number tags, and carrying out essential repairs. In schools, we help to maintain nursery beds, often supporting teaching staff and their pupils.

Saturday Community Workdays:

Typically, practical workdays are held on the second Saturday of each month.

Details for each event, dates and locations may be found in the Events Calendar.

Schools’ Planting Weeks

Each year in November/December we hold a three weeks of tree planting for all the schools in and around Andover. Between 2012 and 2021 (with the exception of 2020) around 10,000 local children in total each planted a tree in Harmony Woods, helping to create a community woodland. 2022 was our first Planting Weeks outside of Harmony Woods, at the new Bury Hill Nature Reserve. To fit everyone in, we do sometimes continue across the planting season until mid-March.

Many volunteers are needed every day over the course of these weeks to help with setting up and packing away, refreshments, managing tools, assisting with planting, and all the small tasks that help each day run smoothly. Please get in touch if you would like to help out.

Wildlife Surveying

Volunteer as a survey assistant as part of our ongoing wildlife monitoring project, Nature in Harmony.

You can also take part in our spring and summer Wild Harmony events, including Bioblitz, moth trapping, bat walks and more!

Behind-the-Scenes

There is also an enormous amount of behind-the-scenes work that goes on to keep the charity running and ensure our work is successful, and we run a range of projects each year. Therefore we also welcome volunteers with many different skills, including:

• administration/office support

• publicity/PR

• website maintenance

• social media

• news articles and press releases

• IT/tech

• event organisation and support

• art and design

• green/woodland crafts

• photography

• musical interest

Corporate

We are happy to hear from local businesses who wish to volunteer with Andover Trees United. Our full list of opportunities for businesses can be found here.

We can offer challenges at all times of the year and tailor activities to suit the size of your group. On each site, there are several tasks to be completed and individuals are able to work in areas of interest or skill. We can provide either half or full day challenges as well as extras such as lunch. We are happy to come and brief the team at your workplace prior to the event. Ideally, we would like a month’s notice to organise the session. To see a monthly tasks breakdown, please look here.

Events Support

We also always need volunteers to provide support for our workdays and events - help set up and pack away, provide a warm welcome and refreshments, etc. And we are very happy to arrange volunteering days for corporate groups, particularly during the Schools’ Planting Weeks each November/December.