The council’s parks team has been lucky this year in leading a large number of corporate volunteering days across our parks and open spaces. Last week a team of 38 from National Grid spent the day at Herschel Park clearing footpaths in the Nature Reserve and cleaned out one of the ponds and this week a group of 27 volunteers from Equinix spent their team building day in the park continuing the great work done by the National Grid employees.

On SEGRO’s Day of Giving event, on 27 September, volunteers tidied overgrown allotment plots at College Road Allotments by Cippenham Village Pond. This was arranged in partnership with one of our allotment site representatives. 

Earlier on in the summer a group of 14 volunteers from British Gas gave up their time to weed, dead head, and rake the rose beds at Salt Hill Park. 

This year, corporate volunteers, together with our regular parks and allotments volunteers, have carried out an amazing 13,000 hours of work helping look after Slough’s parks, allotments, and streams.

If you are interested in corporate volunteering with your place of work, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please email our parks team on: parks@slough.gov.uk

There is also an opportunity to become a weekly volunteer at Herschel Park, Salt Hill Park and Baylis Park. Our Parks Volunteering Scheme is looking for more volunteers to look after our parks. As a volunteer, you will receive hands on training and meet other likeminded people. 

Bruce Hicks, senior parks improvements officer, said: “We are extremely grateful to our volunteers who give up their time every Tuesday at Herschel Park and/or every Thursday at Salt Hill Park (both 10am-3pm). They continue to make such a difference to our parks, and we are very proud to have them working alongside us.”   

As well as assisting with making improvements to the park, planting, seeding, and weeding, it is a great way to keep fit, enjoy the outdoors, and meet new people. 

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, or want to find out more details, please email: parks@slough.gov.uk 

Councillor Gurcharan Manku, lead member for environment, environmental services, and open spaces, said: “We are extremely grateful to all of our volunteers who help us look after our parks and green spaces. Either those who to come to us for a day as part of corporate volunteering or those who regularly donate their time and skills. On behalf of the council, I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you. For anyone who is interested in volunteering there is a great sense of achievement knowing that you are making a difference to the environment and your community.”