Volunteers at the heart of outdoor summer
Published: 29/09/2025
Did you know that around 250 volunteers support the work we do across Milton Keynes’ parks?
As the autumnal colours spread across the leafy landscapes, we are reflecting on an amazing summer in the city’s green spaces and want to send a message of thanks to our incredible volunteers.
Over the summer months, the Parks Trust volunteers have helped with all sorts - they’ve patrolled the parks and picked up litter, completed wildlife surveys and conservation works, and helped our team deliver outdoor learning sessions, workshops, and events ranging from family bike rides to wellbeing walks.
A whopping 3,742 hours of volunteer time was recorded between the beginning of June and end of August - that’s 958 hours for nature and biodiversity initiatives, 1,100 hours of park patrols, 948 hours leading Health Walks, 334 hours engaging visitors at park events, and 382 hours dedicated to supporting outdoor learning sessions.
Our outdoor learning team welcomed thousands of visitors getting closer to nature at 15 Open Mornings at Howe Park Wood, where volunteers supported in the running of 45 craft and bug hunting sessions.
Volunteers leading MK Health Walks have walked a total of about 6,500 miles during the summer period – that’s almost a lap around the moon! If you haven’t heard of MK Health Walks, the programme provides free daily walks created to help improve health across the city.
Find out how our volunteers support our work.
Meet our volunteers
Watch this video to meet some of our volunteers, learn about what their roles involve and find out why they love helping to care for the city’s parks.
