Would you like to volunteer with SWLEN or a local environmental group?

What you get from volunteering

Volunteering is very rewarding and enriching, where you can learn news skills or gain knowledge, as well as enjoying yourself without the pressure of a work setting. SWLEN and around 100 groups we support could not function without volunteers. Many groups are friends of parks or green and public space and volunteering means being outdoors in the wonderful setting of parks, green spaces and the river corridors of leafy south west London. Other activities are indoors where administration skills can be learnt and developed. 

How to become a volunteer

• Decide on your interest and the location. Would you like to learn a specific skill? Would you prefer to lobby for a Fair Trade vending machine at a school or be outside and build a fence?

• Choose an organisation or group. For the groups that SWLEN supports, see Looking for a group. Look at the events and activities in our Events Calendar and on Database or look for posters in your community.

• Contact the group. Ask about their volunteering opportunities, training and support they can offer you. Be realistic about the amount of time you can offer.

• Have fun meeting people and doing new things! This is the important part.

Types of volunteer work

Informal volunteer

Usually this is for a one-off task or event, where training is provided. It includes volunteering with friends of parks or environmental conservation groups helping to maintain important spaces for people and wildlife. You could be building pathways, planting trees or hedges or making stag beetle loggeries. The activities are supervised by trained leaders. Other activities may be attending meetings and events indoors, such as campaigning groups, talks etc. For these opportunities see our Events Calendar.

Formal volunteer

Take an ongoing and specific role within an orgnisation, such as acting as a trustee, finance, website administrator or newsletter author. Roles are listed on a national website called Do-It administered by volunteer centres in Richmond, Kingston and Hounslow, see Volunteer jobs

Internships

We seek interns as volunteers who join an organsation usually to work on a specific project over a specified length of time. At SWLEN we can offer a variety of roles to suit our needs or your interests. We have a successful track record with interns from local universities. Please contact us if you are interested in interning with SWLEN.

Local environmental jobs

On the odd occasion jobs in the local environmental sector come up. We list them on this page if there are any available.

Roles with SWLEN

Voluntary Communications Officer

Do you have a background in journalism, marketing, PR or a similar role?

We are eager to find an experienced person who can help our charity to communicate effectively with the many environmental groups and people interested in environmental issues that we work with in South West London.

You will:

• Co-ordinate the development of our e-newsletters including gathering news from environmental groups and projects;
• Take the lead in preparing our annual report;
• Help to get coverage in the local press and other media;
• Help to maintain our online media presence, such as our website and Facebook page
• Support other groups with their communications needs including websites and social media.

Our office is at Eel Pie Island in Twickenham and you would need to be available for some meetings during the daytime, Mon – Fri but the hours will be very flexible and you can work from home some of the time.

You will need to be available for an average of 12 hours per week and commit yourself for at least 6 months.

Ideally you will live in the London Boroughs of Richmond, Kingston or Hounslow as local knowledge and connections will be important to the success of this role.

Skills/Qualifications required:

• an interest in environmental and sustainability issues,
• good general office and IT skills, although some training on our systems will be available;
• an excellent command of written English;
• an ability to communicate effectively with a range of people;
• a good knowledge of South West London, especially the Boroughs of Richmond and Kingston.

The organisation

South West London Environment Network (SWLEN) is a registered charity that provides information and support to local environmental groups, schools and other not-for-profit organisations carrying out environmental projects. SWLEN also runs sustainability projects, such as an environmental audit service which assists voluntary and community organisations, schools and householders in reducing energy and water consumption and waste.

Roles with other groups/organisations

Tree House Learning
Forest School Assistant

Tree House learning is a small (but ever growing), locally owned and operated, not for profit Forest School based in Ham.  We are constantly on the look out for volunteers to act as the Forest School leader's assistant.  A passion for the outdoors is a must but specific knowledge of flora and fauna is not necessary.  In fact, it is often nice for the children to see the adults learning alongside them.  We provide on site training but previous experience working with children is a huge plus (in our eyes being a parent counts as experience with children).  You will be required to be out in the woodland for a few hours at a time regardless of the weather so this is not a position for those put off by rain or cold.  It is necessary to provide a current CRB and two references attesting to your suitability to be working with children.  The time commitment is a minimum of 3 hours per week but could be more for those interested.  We are always happy to accept students and those looking to obtain their own Forest School leader certification.  If you would like more information about Forest Schools and Tree House Learning please visit our website www.treehouselearning.co.uk.  If you are interesting in or would like more details about the position please email april@treehouselearning.co.uk.