If there is not a group in the park or green space you’re interested in, you can think about setting one up. This is usually done in 5 stages.

1 - Think about what you'd like to do

Setting up a new friends group is easier if you have a clear idea of what you're going to do.

When setting up a new group, you should consider:

• what you would like to achieve - this could be keeping a park or green space litter free, planting new bulbs or encouraging more people to use the area
• whether other local people support your idea - it's important that people agree with what you want to do, even if they're not going to be involved
• whether there is already a group doing something similar in the area - it may be better to join an existing group if this is the case

If there is one specific issue in our parks or green spaces you'd like to address, it may be worth raising the issue with us instead of starting a group, you could speak to your local councillor for help or get residents together to document it.

2 - Meet people with similar interests

Once you have clear ideas about what you want to do, it’s important to find others who share your interests.

If you need to find volunteers for your group, you can:

• advertise through social media
• advertise on TeamKinetic, an online volunteering portal from Community Action Network
• get more hints on how to advertise your roles and recruit volunteers from Community Action Network
• advertise for student volunteers through Bournemouth University Student Union

3 - Share ideas

You can hold a public meeting to talk to others about your aims and get their input. When planning a meeting, you should think about:

• where and when the meeting will be - you want to make it as easy as possible for people to attend
• who to invite - this could include groups or organisations in the area, people you have spoken to, ward councillors, council officers and community support officers
• how to tell people about the meeting - social media, flyers, local newsletters and advertising at other events are a great way to let people know
• how you'll run the meeting - you can nominate people to be the chair of the meeting and a secretary to take notes, if you are unsure how to chair or minute your meeting, your ward councillors or community engagement officer may be able to help

At your meeting, try to make a list of the things you would like to achieve. It is not important to decide exactly how it will be done at this stage, but having clear objective will help when you draw up your constitution and aims. 

4 - Work with us to agree your vision and form a constitution

Your constitution should explain how your group will be run. It should include the aims and objectives of the group and how members are involved. A community engagement officer will be able to help you.

Find out more about how to create your constitution.

5 - Elect your committee

Your group needs to nominate and elect a committee. You will need key committee members such as chair, treasurer, and secretary. You might also want to consider roles like publicity officer, events coordinator and fundraiser. Agree a maximum number of committee members to keep it manageable and decide how you will elect them.

Contact us

If you would like to get in touch with us, email greenvolunteer@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.

You can find more information about volunteering in our parks and green spaces on the BCP Projects website.