Volunteers' Week 2022

07 June 2022

1^st to 7^th June is National Volunteers' Week and we have a pillar at the Milton Keynes Rose dedicated to the week inscribed with words from Mahatma Gandhi saying, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”.

The Parks Trust is just one of many organisations in Milton Keynes enriched by the support of its volunteers. Many of these organisations came together on Wednesday 1 June at the Milton Keynes Rose to celebrate volunteer contribution with speeches from Community Action:MK, the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire and to showcase volunteering in the city.

At The Parks Trust we have over 200 volunteers working across 12 different roles that support a wide range of our work. From surveying wildlife, creating habitats, patrolling and litter picking, to supporting our outdoor learning sessions, leading walks and hosting events. Without their support our work would not have the impact it does on our local environment and communities and we want to say thank you to each and every volunteer who dedicates themselves to improving our parks for the benefit of people and wildlife.

Here are a few highlights of volunteer contribution over the past year:

6329 volunteer hours in total
1624 patrols of the parks
288 activities supported
49 new volunteers recruited

The pandemic did impact our volunteer programme, restricting what work we could do, leaving many of our volunteers to re-evaluate their time and how they use it. We are so pleased to be back in full swing and that so many of our volunteers continue to dedicate their precious time to the parks and people of Milton Keynes.

This year we have also introduced a new Community Volunteering Programme, which give members of the public an opportunity to take part in some practical tasks in the parks such as collecting bluebell seeds, laying paths and planting flowers. Many of these tasks are also supported by our registered volunteers.

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Litter in the Parks

The cost of removing litter from across Milton Keynes' green space is enormous, it already costs us over £400,000 a year.

Find out more...