Volunteering is a great way to help nature and learn about your local spaces. Whether you enjoy practical outdoor tasks or prefer citizen science, there’s something for everyone. You can try out a variety of projects or take part on a regular weekly, monthly or seasonal basis.  

Here are a few opportunities to get you started: 

• Volunteer with Chelmsford City Parks (link below). 

• Essex Wildlife Trust 

• Volunteer opportunities | The Rivers Trust 

• Volunteer Essex – Volunteering opportunities throughout Essex 

• Volunteer in Essex | TCV 

• Home – Chelmsford CVS 

• Citizen science: Volunteer With Us – Woodland Trust 

• Citizen science: About GWH – Garden Wildlife Health 

Birds rely heavily on natural food sources throughout the year, and even more so when raising chicks. You can help by creating bird friendly spaces, providing a variety of food options:  

• Keep berry and fruiting plants like rowan, apple trees, wild roses, holly and ivy 

• Plant seed producing plants such as sunflowers and teasels. 

• Leave seed heads intact after flowering, to provide food well into winter.  

• Boost insect life by allowing some grass to grow long and keeping leaf piles – perfect for insects and excellent for birds that feed on them.  

• Use bird feeders, keeping them clean and topped up. Shop-bought, homemade, and even window feeders all work well. 

 Useful links: 

• How to feed birds in your garden | Essex Wildlife Trust 
• https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/identifying-birds  

The hedgehog is one of Britain’s most cherished mammals. They can roam 1-2 Kilometres a night, but many are still struggling to get around our gardens and streets. Here’s how you can help: 

• Team up for a hedgehog highway. If you have a garden, chat with your neighbours about adding small fence holes so hedgehogs can move safely between spaces. Who knows – you might even start a new trend on your street! 

• Grow and look after hedges. It’s in the name! Hedges offer shelter, food and safe routes.  

Useful links:  

• Hedgehog Haven Essex 

• The British Hedgehog Preservation Society 

• https://www.hedgehogstreet.org/  

The continued use of pesticides has been shown to reduce insect numbers. Most products don’t just target just one species – for example a spray meant to remove aphids can also harm bees and butterflies visiting the same plants. 

Pledge to switch out your pesticides and embrace nature. Aphids provide food for ladybirds, and even some birds, helping to support a healthy ecosystem. Plus, you’ll save money not buying chemicals! 

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has a great guide for controlling pests and diseases without chemicals. 

More bugs mean more biodiversity. No matter how big or small your outdoor space is, you can still create a bug hotel. Try leaving part of a widow box filled with leaves and twigs, make a small log pile, or build a simple structure using natural materials.  

Check out our ‘Make and Do’ activities for step-by-step guides on building your own bug hotel. 

Want to learn more? Visit Buglife to discover why minibeasts matter. 

Bees are important for pollination of flowers, and your garden can be a brilliant home for them as well as pollinators like hoverflies, butterflies, and ladybirds.  

While not all flowers benefit pollinators, open flowers where you can see the pollen are usually the best for helping insects reach nectar.  

Good plants to try include are: crocus, crab apple, snapdragon, wallflower, forget-me-not, salvia, strawberry tree, dahlia.  

If you have space, you could also create a mini flower meadow.  

Trees are incredible! The clean our air, store carbon, improve soil, and provide habitat for countless species.  

The tree planting season runs from November to March, (with November preferred), but many trees can be kept potted, to restrict growth to your space and care for all year round.   Keep an eye out for our tree giveaway for residents later in the year (normally open around September/October). 

Useful links: 

Free Trees for Schools and Communities – Woodland Trust 

Water is vital for every living creature. By offering fresh water or creating a simple water feature, you can help support a variety of wildlife.  

An odd bowl or some pond liner sunk into the ground works brilliantly for frogs, insects, and as drinking and bathing water for birds, and small mammals.  

Surround it with pebbles and a few flowers to give bees and butterflies both a rest point and nectar. Add something for an escape route for small reptiles and mammals so they don’t get trapped.  

Useful links:  

• Froglife
• https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/actions/how-build-pond  

Growing your own food reduces emissions, cuts packaging, and gives you fresh produce. 

Beginners can start small with herbs or easy crops like lettuce in a window box.   Kew Gardens has great windowsill-growing guidance, and the RHS provides plenty of expert tips.  

Ready for more – you can find out about our allotments.

Later this year. We’ll be sharing details on how you can take part in our brand new Adopt a Tree scheme. 

With hotter summers, young trees take longer to establish, and even mature trees can struggle with reduced rainfall. We’ll be adding tags to selected trees and inviting residents to “adopt” them by helping with watering. You can use collected rainwater or leftover bath water, helping to reduce water waste at the same time.  

More information to come later this year!