Have a look at theirwebsite andFacebook group for more detailed information about this long-term project.

Wild Bracknell is a local environmental group that aims to engage with the public in dialogue to raise awareness of nature and encourage engagement in projects. Some projects are large such as creating green corridors and pollution surveys. Other projects are small such as building a hedgehog box or sowing wild flowers in your garden.

Please share pictures, sightings, tips, news, advice, and anything nature related within the borough; this is a friendly space where we aim at consolidating a community spirit, and inspire people to take action for nature locally. There have been some organised activities such as swift walks and outfall (polluted water discharge) safari training, and there are currently talks about creating a Bracknell anti-litter society as a spin off, with the collaboration of local residents keen to bust litter.

Contact details

Please see theWild Bracknell facebook page oremail Barbara if you would like to get involved.

The group has been set up by people who live or work in Maidenhead and focuses on an area from Knowl Hill in the west, to Cookham in the north, Maidenhead town in the east and Fifield in the south, home to around 80,000 people.

Wild Maidenhead has been set up to help look after the wild things and wild places in the area. They want to discover, celebrate, support and protect our biodiversity, whether in the area's 3,000 acres of domestic gardens, or in parks, wildlife areas, nature reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). 

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They are interested in much loved, familiar species found in the area as well as rare, protected or threatened species. Hedgehogs, stag beetles, farmland birds, water voles, bees, owls, butterflies, house sparrows, wildflowers, swifts, swallows, house martins, dragonflies, slow worms, bats, frogs and toads are examples of local species that were once commonplace. In all cases, action can be taken to make a positive difference to the future for these and other species.

Contact details

Email:wildmaidenhead@gmail.com

Website:www.wildmaidenhead.org.uk

Facebook:www.facebook.com/groups/wildmaidenhead

Wild Tilehurst are aiming for community awareness and involvement in nature through events such as bat walks, mindfulness walks, sharing experiences and citizen science.

Contact details

Pleaseemail Katie for more information.

The Hub is based in Unit 5/7 Nicholson Walk, Maidenhead.

The group is seeking volunteers to welcome visitors and explain the purpose of the Hub and the support we can offer to enable them to understand and reduce their carbon footprint. We also ask that you keep a record of visitors and any requests they may have. As the Hub is entirely run by volunteers there will be optional additional duties such as cleaning and tidying, as you would do in your own home.

Induction and training in the various ECO zones will be available.

Volunteers are covered by insurance and safeguarding policies while in the Hub.

Contact details

Pleaseemail the Hub for more details.

Whitchurch Wildlife Environment Group help to provide and maintain wildlife habitat in Whitchurch. They create wildflower areas, maintain ponds, carry out surveys, provide bird houses and feeders for garden birds.



Visit their Facebook page oremail Caroline directly.

Southcote GrowAllot inspire people to grow their own food in a sustainable way. They run tutor-led gardening sessions in their community garden. They have a large wildlife area with a pond, and also work with other community groups to maintain flower beds for pollinators in the local shopping centre.

Contact details

Website:www.food4families.org.uk/florian.cfm

Email:food4families@risc.org.uk

Tel: 07973 891396

There is so much wildlife in Mortimer. This group encourages the sharing of photos of local flora and fauna. As nature lovers they encourage wildlife to thrive and they share it with each other.

To get involved please join the Facebook grouphere oremail Natasha 

Wild Cookham is a volunteer-based wildlife society formed in 2014 and dedicated to the preservation, protection and enhancement of all aspects of the natural world in and around Cookham. 

The group works with local landowners, councils and partner groups of volunteers working in teams to set up and support wildlife protection and development projects. They are always looking for volunteers to help in many ways - from 'hands on' outdoor habitat management to planning and organising a wide range of activities and projects. 

The goal? To make Cookham and its surrounding landscape safe for wildlife, able to ensure that it is sustainable for the future for all life in it, including ourselves. Wild Cookham is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, charity number 1193867.

Please emailWild Cookham 
and see their website for further informationwww.wildcookham.org.uk
 

The CWC Volunteers purpose is to keep the Coombes woodland as natural as they can for residents and visitors, for years to come.

The group would welcome new volunteers

Pleaseemail  for further information or see the groups website herehttps://thecoombeswoodlands.com/

Friends of Foxhill are a community group created to support access to, and the conservation of, this area of much loved woodland on the edge of Woosehill in Wokingham.

Weblink  https://friendsoffoxhill.org/

If you would like to find out more about the group please emailevents@friendsoffoxhill.org

Speen Community are a group who plant around their housing estate and around Speen, Newbury. We do this to make it look better, feel better. They improve the area for all - humans and wildlife.

https://www.speencommunity.org
 

If you would like to get involved please emailspeencommunitycafe@gmail.com
 

Greener Winslow was set up in 2020 by a group of local people who want to do something locally about climate change and biodiversity loss.

Greener Winslow aims:

1. To research, promote and undertake activities that help reduce carbon output in the Winslow area
2. To promote and undertake activities that improve local biodiversity
3. To promote and protect local green spaces

Currently, Greener Winslow are working on finding spaces to plant trees, lending out a thermal imaging camera that could help people reduce their energy use, and planning wildflower planting in the area to increase biodiversity.

They are also holding a series of talks on relevant topics. 

Greener Winslow would love you to join us and bring any expertise you may have or, more importantly, your enthusiasm for some of these activities. You could help with tree planting, fundraising, or helping to communicate with residents via the website. You probably have a skill that they really need!

Contact details

Website:www.greenerwinslow.uk

Email:greenerwinslow@gmail.com

Tel: 07710 550057

Tracking the Impact is an exciting landscape-scale monitoring programme being delivered in the Chilterns AONB. 

Focusing on birds, butterflies and plants, the project offers opportunities to:

• carry out surveys on 1km squares
• attend survey methodology training courses
• attend species ID training courses
• join an active WhatsApp support group

By getting involved in the project, you will make a big difference to local wildlife in the Chilterns and contribute to national recording schemes. You will also get the chance to meet with other surveyors and get feedback on the project at regular workshops and events.

Contact details

Find out more and complete a simple online registration form here:www.chilternsaonb.org/trackingtheimpact

Contact Nick directly on 07785 527108 or emailnmarriner@chilternsaonb.org

Leather Lane Conservation Groups' purpose is to conserve their beautiful local landscape -  with it’s rich ecology, and the fauna and flora that make it so special - so that it can be enjoyed by generations to come. They seek to inform their community about the importance of conserving the wildlife species present in this landscape of ancient holloways and lanes, and the ways in which they can help to protect biodiversity.

If you would be interested in learning more about local wildlife and their work to conserve it, they would love to hear from you. Volunteering opportunities available with the group are surveying, events and communications.

Contact details

To register interest, please email green.bridge@leatherlane.org

Swifts and Martins groups in; Stony Stratford; Newport Pagnell; New Bradwell; Broughton; Shenley and Milton Keynes village, are local community groups which install artificial nest boxes and survey for natural sites.

Contact details

To find out more, pleaseemail Paul Dubery.

Wolverton Community Orchard (MK12 5AY) always needs volunteers during their Tuesday morning sessions to keep their space looking amazing. Mostly gardening related but no specific experience needed and the site is wheelchair-friendly.

Contact details

Please contact the community group via their Facebook page or email them directly.

Iver Environment Centre love welcoming volunteers. Gardeners are welcome on Wednesdays and there are monthly 'All Hands on Deck' sessions.

Contact details

Contact Iver Environment Centre directly via their website.

Hedgerley Conservation Volunteers are a group of local people who meet throughout the year to take action towards promoting nature and wildlife recovery.

They maintain two wildflower meadows (recently designated as Local Wildlife Sites), a community orchard, and some mixed woodland. Working parties range from coppicing and scrub clearance to removing invasive species and planting native wildflowers for the benefit of wildlife.

They are always looking for new members, so please get in touch if you are interested.

Contact details

Website:www.hedgerley.org

Email Neil

Phone Neil on 07947 280003.

As a church, St Peter's are committed to Caring for Creation. They have installed a bug hotel and bird, bat and hedgehog boxes in the churchyard, and swift boxes on the tower. They have organised bat and swift walks to help educate their church and local community, and to increase awareness and enjoyment of nature.

They are hoping to organise litter picking events and have various equipment available for people to borrow.

Contact details

Pamela Rogers

Email:admin@stpetersburnham.org

Tel: 01628 664 338

Wild Marlow is a group of volunteer enthusiasts passionate about wildlife and protecting biodiversity in the Marlow area. Their objective is the promotion of conservation, protection and improvement of the biodiversity and physical environment, specifically for wildlife in and around Marlow. They cover the areas in and around Marlow, including the Parishes of Marlow Town, Great Marlow, Marlow Bottom and Little Marlow.



Wild Marlow's aim is to engage the local community including residents, local organisations, land owners and decision makers, through events, educational guides and tours, advice, competitions, volunteering and practical work parties, to raise awareness of the importance of a balanced ecosystem and to champion Marlow’s wildlife, whilst working with existing volunteer and wildlife groups. This will also raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and encourage educational and social based actions to support and enhance the value of community spaces.



Please contact Wild Marlow byemail

and see their website here https://wildmarlow.org.uk/

BGS Eco group Eco are working towards sustainability in Burnham Grammar School in Burnham near Slough. If you are local they would welcome your involvement.

Pleaseemail Shabnam.

Risborough Environment Group (REG) are a group of volunteers who carry out practical nature conservation tasks in the Risborough area. This can include assisting local organisations or the town council with vegetation management for wildlife including grassland management, as well as monitoring water qualities of the local chalk streams and litter picking.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/158868111696493

If you would like to find out how to get involved please emailregbucks@gmail.com

The Owen Smith Charitable Trust aims to

To educate and inform the public about nature, wildlife, food & nutrition.
To teach people how to grow healthy nutritious food
To enhance health & wellbeing through access to true nature
To provide habitat for indigenous wildlife to help reverse species extinction
To research gardening techniques with the potential to restore soil health and store atmospheric carbon to mitigate climate change
We also aim to provide all manner of workshops and activities for all ages such as horticultural therapy and wellbeing workshops.

https://wildmagic.org.uk

To get involved please emailwildmagicland@gmail.com
 

Oxford City Farm is a community Farm in East Oxford. They grow vegetables, fruit and nuts, look after bees, chickens and goats, and manage the land to encourage wildlife.

Oxford City Farm give produce in exchange for help working at the farm. They host grow your own veg, composting, introduction to permaculture, seed saving and cookery workshops. 

Volunteering sessions offer an opportunity for people of all ages to get involved with some hands-on jobs on the farm or simply to come and enjoy the space and meet and feed the animals and have a cup of tea.

Everyone is welcome, especially families (please note adults will be responsible for their children's wellbeing and supervision at all times).

Contact details

Go along to the Community Farming and Open Farm Sessions - every Friday & Saturday, 10am - 1pm.

Having an idea of numbers viaEventbrite is really helpful for their planning, but you're still welcome to go to the farm if you can't book on Eventbrite. They ask all new volunteers to completethis form.

If you're going to volunteer, please go at the beginning to get the list of jobs and introduction.

www.oxfordcityfarm.org.uk

Kirtlington Wildlife and Conservation Society was formed in 1997 by a group of local wildlife enthusiasts. The group’s key aim is to look after local habitats and wildlife, and to encourage others to consider wildlife too.

The group is involved in a broad range of activities:

Current practical work

• Managing the village pond.
• Managing parts of the churchyard at St Mary’s.
• Scrub clearance to protect grassland flora and species surveys in the Quarry.
• Running four bird surveys including a Kirtlington Garden Bird Survey.
• Gathering data about local wildflowers, mammals, insects and birds.
• Working with the Cherwell District Council to help protect nesting sites for swifts.
• Connecting village gardens to form Kirtlington Hedgehog Street.

Monthly talks

• We hold monthly meetings between October and April to which we invite experts to speak on a wide range of wildlife and conservation topics. Click here to see our current programme.

Walks & visits

• We arrange occasional nature walks, including a dawn chorus walk, in and around the village, often led by local experts.
• We arrange occasional group visits to sites outside the village.

Contact details

Pleaseemail the group directly for further information.

https://kirtlingtonvillage.co.uk/kwacs

The Bicester Community Wellbeing Garden was established in 2018 on the site of the St Edburgs Church School. It has grown steadily since then and we have added a shed and small greenhouse. The garden is fully mature now and we need help maintaining the flower beds and also growing vegetables and salads in our 3 high planters and greenhouse.

The garden is open to the public on Wednesday and Saturday mornings (summer only) - we would like to increase that but need more volunteers to open the garden. Grassroots Bicester has a licence from Value Retail ( Bicester Village) and have applied to Cherwell District Council to designate the site as a local green space. 

Contact details

Please emailAnne Marie for more information or come and say hello on a Wednesday morning.

Mill Lane Community Garden aims to develop an area that has been set aside by Nicolas King developers and is now under a 10-year lease with the Chinnor Parish Council for the use and benefit of the local community.

Their objectives are to create an area that will meet a variety of outdoor needs for Chinnor residents, with special consideration to the new neighbouring estate, local schools and other groups.

· Design a modern and inspiring outdoor space

· Designed for easy maintenance and achievable goals

· To set up a management group who will hold regular meetings to ensure the successful development and long-term maintenance of the area

· To open a bank account and obtain funding for the project

· To promote ownership of allocated spaces (pods) by families or groups

· To increase confidence in growing and maintaining this space

· To grow food to be shared

· To promote learning about growing and eating self-grown produce

· Inclusion of fruit and nut trees, the produce of which will be shared

· Flexible space for growing, picnicking and connecting with nature, with consideration for Covid 19 requirements

· Outdoor growing area designed for all ages and abilities with raised growing beds

· Extra effort to include the surrounding residents of Mill Lane and the new estate to promote community inclusion and blending

· Manageable growing space

· Parking for easy access for use by people with disabilities

· Long term maintenance of the area for the benefit for all.

Contact details

Please see their website:milllanecommunitygarden.com oremail the group directly.

Created in 2017, the Salt Way Activity Group was set up to help preserve and maintain the two mile stretch of the Salt Way as it passes the southern side of Banbury.

Volunteering offers you the opportunity to transfer skills, learn how to identify plants, shrubs and trees or how to manage areas to enhance habitats and landscape.  As well as making a difference to our community, volunteering offers real benefits to your health and wellbeing too.

Volunteering activities have been shown to improve fitness and enhance mental wellbeing by combining outdoor exercise, increased contact with nature and the social benefits of group activity.

• Cutting ivy off trees and shrubs adjacent to the way, to reduce incidences of windblow.
• Coppicing trees and shrubs.
• Hedgelaying and creating new habitat.
• Letting light into areas periodically to encourage woodland flowering plants.
• Grant applications, letter writing, updating records, creating species management plans etc.
• Monitoring and learning about birds, butterflies, plants, reptiles etc.
• Reporting problems on the Salt Way.
• Tree and shrub planting.
• Planting out plug plants to increase the variety of native plants - a nectar source.
• Managing grassland - scything to encourage diversity; an almost meditative practice.
• Build bird and bat boxes for placement along the Salt Way.

Contact details

Salt Way Activity Group would love to hear from you.

Contact David Russell, Secretary on 07871 436456

Or email:contact@saltwayactivitygroup.org.uk

Sandhills Naturehood is an active group of local residents working together in private and public spaces to address wildlife and biodiversity decline and climate change. It is a fun and informative group open to everybody sharing wildlife sightings and ideas; discovering and learning together for the benefit of nature.



They work with partners including councils, local schools, Oxford Preservation Trust, and neighbouring nature groups in Risinghurst and Barton to improve, conserve and connect local green spaces.



Their activities to date include looking after street trees, creating mini meadows in green spaces, bulb planting, scrub clearance, activity and educational nature days, plant sales, and fundraising to help with the primary school.

Contact details

To get involved, please email Mark: sandhills.naturehood@outlook.com

Marston Community Gardening was established in June 2018 with a view to supporting and fostering local engagement in gardening, planting, and related activities that support environmental and ecological sustainability and enhance community life.

The group mobilizes volunteers to participate in projects to plant and cultivate trees, hedges, fruit, vegetables and flowers in Marston’s green spaces, roadsides, schools and allotments for the benefit and well-being of local residents – humans and wildlife!

In addition, group members share materials and practical support for gardening. The group has more than 500 active members from all walks of life (including students and staff from local schools, Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University, and people of all professions) who get involved in various community projects. The group also works in collaboration with other local organisations such as Old Marston Parish Council, Oxford City Council, St Nicholas Primary School, New Marston Primary School, Court Place Farm Allotments, Oxford Farmhouse, Cutteslowe Park Horticultural Nursery, GoodGym, Friends of the Earth, Naturehood Marston, the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare, and others to implement green initiatives locally. 

In response to the growth in popularity of all these activities, a range of off-shoot local sub-groups have sprouted up under the broad umbrella of MCG including Marston Forest Garden, Marston Energy Club, MCG Refill Station at the Marston Community Hub, and the Marston Eco Group, comprising a buzzing and growing Marston Hive.

MCG has received support and funding from Old Marston Parish Council, Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Community Action Groups (CAG) Oxfordshire and B&Q.

MCG is a supporter of the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill and the CEE Bill Alliance Oxfordshire.

Contact details

Please email hello@marstoncommunitygardening.org.uk for further information.

The Trap Grounds Town Green & Local Wildlife Site comprises 10 acres of woodland, grassland, streams, and ponds, between the canal and the railway line in north Oxford.

Nearest postcode: OX2 6TF.



They welcome volunteers to do solo conservation work, and to join occasional work parties.

Contact details

For details, please email the Secretary: Catherine Robinson:cmrobinson.oxford@gmail.com

And visit the Trap Grounds website: https://trap-grounds.org.uk

Join a weekly volunteering group on Long Mead Wildlife Site. Mostly dedicated to propagating by hand and learning about floodplain meadow plants as part of the Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project, but also includes other activities through the seasons.

The group runs from 10.30 to 3.00pm but it is possible to come for the morning - 10.30 to 1pm.

or

Join the Nature Recovery Network, a community project in Eynsham where volunteering opportunities include: monthly bird surveys, monthly water quality surveys, quarterly invertebrate surveys (from March to September) and quarterly reptile surveys (from March to September).

Contact details

Please view the websites below for contact details:

Long Mead:www.longmeadwildlifesite.org.uk

Nature Recovery Network:www.nature-recovery-network.org

Kidlington Growing Spaces is run by the Parish Council to build community, promote local food growing, provide for local wildlife, foster residents' wellbeing and help manage our green spaces sustainably. Community gardening sessions are held regularly across various sites in Kidlington - please get in touch with them directly for more details, they'd love to welcome you!

Contact details

Email:growspace@kidlington-pc.gov.uk

Website:Green Spaces - Kidlington Parish Council

To be added to the mailing list to receive details of the dates by email,please complete this form.

Enstone Eco are a local volunteer group who aim to improve the natural habitat in the parish, while at the same time involving people, building community and having fun.

They have volunteering opportunities such as planting wildflower seeds along road verges and in Enstone churchyard, helping the school clear it's garden and pond and surveying local plants and wildlife using the iNaturalist app. They also put on events such as guided walks around the parish in areas of natural interest. This recently included a tour around the grounds of Heythrop Park Hotel followed by tea and cake!

Contact details

Website:www.enstone-eco.co.uk

Email:enstoneeco@gmail.com

 

Oxford Urban Wildlife Group (OUWG) was established by a group of community wildlife enthusiasts in 1988 with a vision to maintain and conserve wildlife in Oxford, and to help local people discover the city’s wildlife and wild places.

The group have been fulfilling their mission over the past 30 years by creating and managing Boundary Brook Nature Reserve, a three-acre wildlife haven in the heart of East Oxford featuring mixed woodland, pond, butterfly glades, and a demonstration wildlife garden.

OUWG holds Thursday morning volunteering sessions where there’s a job for everyone to get involved, discover more about conservation work on site and make new friends. Every moment counts for nature, just half an hour or for the whole morning, whatever suits, no experience necessary.

For further information email:  info@ouwg.org.uk

Or see the website hereOxford Urban Wildlife Group

Join Oxford City Wildlife Volunteers- Make a real difference!

Live in or around Oxford city? Looking for a practical way to help at local nature reserves, protect rare species, and enhance Oxfords biodiversity for future generations? Then you might just be the right fit for our team. The Wildlife Volunteers are run by the City Councils Countryside team who manages just over 1000 acres of nature reserves and open spaces across the city, including Shotover, Port Meadow and all the cities nature parks.

Whether you have worked for local groups before or are just beginning we are a small welcoming team that offers hands on practical conservation sessions for all ages and abilities.

Why Volunteer with Us?

Make an Impact: Directly contribute to projects that preserve rare species, wetlands, and local wildlife. Your work will help enhance and manage a range of habitats across all thirty of our local sites.

Learn & Grow: Gain practical skills in conservation, learn how to manage different habitat types, identify a range of species, and understand the work that goes into managing your local nature reserves.

Be Part of a Community: Work alongside like-minded individuals who are passionate about nature and the environment. Build lasting friendships and connections with fellow volunteers.

Get Outdoors: Enjoy fresh air, exercise that provides a service, and the satisfaction of knowing your efforts are creating positive change.

What Will You Do?

Manage a range of habitat types using practical techniques such as cutting and raking wetland areas and meadows, seeding wildlfower species, hazel coppicing, hedge laying, scrub removal, and planting trees.

Take part in minor fence repairs or construction projects such as bridge building, gate installation and much more.

Participate in a variety of habitat restoration projects across the city.

Help with rare species monitoring. 

Help to tackle invasive species. 

Assist with clean-up and litterpicking sessions. 

Who Can Join?

Individuals aged 18+ (no experience necessary)

Passionate about nature, wildlife, and the environment 

Willing to get hands-on and work outdoors in various conditions.

Friendly and ready to collaborate in a team-oriented environment 

Perks & Benefits:

Good exercise in the great outdoors.

Chance to learn from our experts about our local nature reserves and rare species.

Refreshments and a chance to connect with like-minded volunteers.

How to Join:

To join get in touch with the Countryside team via our Ranger Tom:tackland@oxford.gov.uk

Be part of the solution!

Friends of Island Pond Wood is a volunteer led group managing a woodland in Launton, leased from the Woodland Trust. We have been working hard to improve biodiversity, but also engage with the community through events. 

Weblink   https://facebook.com/IslandPondWood

If you would like to get involved please emailfipwlimited@gmail.com
 

Bicester Harvest at Home are a network of three community gardens in Bicester. They run volunteer sessions at three locations: Garth Garden - a welcoming, social, walled garden and meet-up hub; Grebe Garden - for wildlife; The Nightingale Pub - allotment style. We grow food, flowers and create habitats for wildlife. We encourage volunteers of all skill levels to work and learn together.

https://www.facebook.com/BicesterHarvestatHome

Please emailharvestathome.bicester@gmail.com if you would like to get involved