Volunteering with Growing Communities

If you are interested in organic growing and want to make a difference, come and join our regular volunteer work team.  Volunteers are essential in helping us to grow food in the heart of the city.

Anyone who is interested in gardening and growing can volunteer - no previous experience is necessary!  It's a great way of improving your growing skills and meeting other local people while making a real contribution to Growing Communities' aim of setting up practical, long-lasting alternatives to the current food system.  Last year over 120 volunteers worked with us on the sites. The volunteers work with Growing Communities' Growers Paul Bradbury and Sophie Verhagen to help produce organic salad leaves at our market gardens in Hackney.  The produce is sold through our organicfruit and vegetable box scheme. 

How to join the volunteer work team

If you want to volunteer with us you need to attend one of our Introductory Sessions. These run on the first Sunday of the month at Springfield, the third Monday of the month at Allens Gardens and the fourth Thursday of each month at Clissold Park (if that all sounds confusing, then please have a look at the dates below!). The sessions start promptly at 9.30am and last approximately 1 hour. You are then welcome to volunteer for the rest of day. Please wear old clothes and sturdy shoes and bring a packed lunch if you plan to stay for the day. 

After doing an introductory session, you can come to either the weekday or weekend volunteering at any of the sites.

Weekday volunteering

The main volunteer work team sessions take place on:
Mondays, 10am till 4pm at Allens Gardens
Tuesdays, 10am till 4pm at the Springfield site and 10 til 1pm at Clissold
Thursdays, 10am to 4pm at the Clissold Park site

NB: Our Clissold Park site will be closed on Tuesday 19th February due to staff holidays.

Please see below for maps.

Weekend volunteering

Volunteer work team sessions also take place on the first Sunday of each month between 10.30am and 4.00pm. These Sunday workdays are always at our Springfield site.

How to find us

All the sites are on the map below. The Allens Garden site is a little hidden! You'll find us through the gates between the flats on the very corner of Bethune Road and Manor Road. It might look like a private entrance but go through the gate and you'll find us at the bottom of the tarred road to the right.  Our Springfield Park site is 100 metres to the North of the White Lodge (Spark Cafe).  The Clissold Park site is next to the goat enclosure (look out for the polytunnel).