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Volunteering, food growing and allotments

Volunteering

There are a number of ways that you can volunteer in Camden’s parks and green spaces.

Parks and gardens friends' groups are voluntary groups of local residents, workers or visitors who dedicate some of their time, energy and effort to caring for and improving their local park, garden or open space. Anyone can join a friends group and give as much or as little time as they want. Friends groups always need new volunteers, whether it's to help organise an event, get stuck in with some planting or just to attend meetings to contribute to plans for the local park.

We value our friends' groups input into the management of Camden's parks and green spaces. Such partnerships work to help make our parks safe, clean and well-maintained popular assets to the community. We aim to build trusting relationships with community groups and engage in effective regular communication. 

Camden Parks - Friends groups

We currently have active Friends groups at these sites: 

  • Alexandra Road Park
  • Belsize Woods
  • Bloomsbury Square
  • Brunswick Square
  • Chalcot Square
  • Crabtree Fields
  • Fortune Green
  • Kilburn Grange
  • Lincoln's Inn Fields
  • Maygrove Peace Park
  • Oakley Square
  • Red Lion Square
  • Russell Square
  • St George's Gardens
  • Talacre Gardens
  • Tavistock Square
  • Waterlow Park

Regular volunteering opportunities in Friends groups 

Friends of Bloomsbury Square

Bloomsbury Square, WC1A 2RJ

Activity: Volunteer Gardening group – run alongside sessions in Russell Square. Maintaining shrub beds in the park under guidance of lead volunteer. All training provided. Regular sessions held.

Contact: email David at [email protected].

Friends of Brunswick Square

Brunswick Square, WC1N 1AW

Activity: Volunteer Gardening group – maintaining shrub beds in the park under guidance of lead volunteer. All training provided. First Saturday of every month. 

Contact: Friends group via webpage Association of Bloomsbury Squares and Gardens.

Friends of Crabtree Fields

Crabtree Fields, W1T 2BG

Activity: Tidying up and general gardening tasks. Regular monthly sessions held.

Contact: for dates and to sign up to the newsletter, email [email protected].

Friends of Fortune Green

Fortune Green, NW6 1UJ

Activity: Regular community events and a monthly volunteer gardening session ‘Love Our Green Sundays’. Session take place on the first Sunday of every month.

Contact: for further information and to sign up to the newsletter, visit the Friends of Fortune Green webpage. 

Friends of Kilburn Grange Park

Kilburn Grange Park, NW6 2JL

Activity: Activities throughout the year run by local volunteers.

Contact: for further information, email [email protected].

Friends of Maygrove Peace Park

Maygrove Peace Park, NW6 2HBA

Activity: Tidying up and general gardening tasks run by The Conservation Volunteers. Regular monthly sessions held.

Contact: visit TCV’s Green Gym to view the schedule.

Friends of Oakley Square

Oakley Square, NW1 1NX

Activity: Tidying up and general gardening tasks run by local volunteers. Regular monthly sessions held.

Contact: message the Instagram page for further information.

Friends of Russell Square

Russell Square, WC1B 5DN

Activity: Volunteer Gardening group – maintaining shrub beds in the park under guidance of lead volunteer. All training provided. Regular sessions held. 

Contact: message David either via the Friends of Russell Square Facebook page or email [email protected].

Friends of Waterlow Park

Waterlow Park, N6 5HG

Activity: Tidying up and general gardening tasks run by Local Volunteers and The Conservation Volunteers. Regular weekly sessions as well as Winter and monthly sessions with TCV.

Contact: visit the FoWP website or sign up to TCV’s Green Gym newsletter to view the schedule.

 

To set up a friends' group in your local park, email [email protected].

If you would like to get involved with practical conservation volunteering to improve your local environment then why not join Camden Green Gym.

Allotments

All our allotments are full and waiting lists are closed.  Nearby councils have a greater number of allotments - you can check if plots are available in Barnet and Brent.

Allotments managed by associations are:

  • Antrim Grove - 38 plots of various sizes
  • Branch Hill - 27 plots of various sizes
  • Fitzroy Park - 88 plots of various sizes

For information on any of these allotments:

Camden also manages Westcroft Estate which has 50 plots of various sizes.

For information about this allotment:

Community food growing

Capital Growth encourages people to start food growing projects on unused land and to get involved with existing growing spaces. They give advice on sustainable food growing too.

If you’d like to start a food growing project in your local park, email [email protected].

To find out about food growing projects on our estates, email [email protected].