Volunteer Tasks
Activities we regularly carry out at work sessions include:
- Litter picking – We usually bring along our litter pickers to our work sessions for those who want a gentler but still extremely valuable activity. Regularly visit Spa Ponds? We can lend you a litter picker and give you bags so that you can help us keep the site tidy!
- Himalayan Balsam pulling – This invasive non-native species can overrun a site and harm soil quality. It is easy to remove by hand – just don’t take any risks if near the water or a steep bank! We focus our efforts in May/June as that is when the Balsam is mature enough to identify but has yet to go to seed. Members of our group also take part part in organised Balsam pulls across Nottinghamshire as part of a coordinated effort to keep it under control.
- Dead Hedging – As the RSPB put it: “It might sound like an oxymoron, but a dead hedge is a wonderful habitat that’s full of life. Dead hedges provide hiding places and nesting habitats for all sorts of creatures, as well as food for insects. As it rots down, the nutrients are recycled back into the earth…Creating a dead hedge is an ongoing activity, which can be added to every time you prune a tree or cut back a shrub.”
- Raking – At the end of the winter, as we have learnt through experience, if the grasses and wildflowers in the Chestnut Wood are to thrive, then we need to rake the leaves that have fallen the previous autumn.
Health and Safety
FTNCG standard generic risk assessment for work at Spa Ponds:
Additional documents for specific risks and activities:
Events and Volunteering Opportunities
Weather permitting, forthcoming Spa Ponds Volunteer Work Sessions (starting at 10 am) include:
- Saturday 26th April – Spa Ponds work session with Samantha
- Saturday 24th May – Spa Ponds work session with Samantha
- (Corporate volunteer organisers can contact us if they want us to arrange a mid-week session)
There will also be an in-person daytime event on Saturday the 19th of July 2025 at Kingsway Hall. Details to be confirmed closer to the time!
For work sessions we meet at the Clipstone Drive entrance to the Spa Ponds site. We have kindly received permission from the Whitegates Hotel pub (2 Clipstone Road East, NG19 0HS) for volunteers to be able to use their car park for our work sessions.