Use your volunteering days for something green this year

  • Tuesday, February 4, 2025
  • Posted By The Growth Company

As we settle into the New Year, you might be considering how to make the most of your volunteering days this year.

Here at GC, our volunteering policy, Volunteer2day, allows you to take up to two days' leave in any one-year rolling period to volunteer. You can take your two days leave in hours, half days and full days, and if your volunteering is done outside of the working day, you can claim this time back in lieu.

Why not dedicate some of your volunteering hours to sustainability initiatives? Whether it's participating in local litter-picking events, supporting community gardens, or helping with recycling initiatives, your efforts can make a significant impact on the environment. You could even find ways to incorporate activities into the work you do with learners and service users.

Across GC we have a number of colleagues who either volunteered as a one-off or volunteer regularly with green initiatives. Here are some examples to give you some ideas.

Gemma Batchelor, Operations Manager for GC Employment’s Restart Programme, volunteers weekly with Liverpool Zero Waste, whose network of volunteers collects surplus food from supermarkets and redistributes it in the community.

Gemma volunteers one hour a week outside of work to collect from two stores and drop off at a collection site. The charity works with around 30 stores across Liverpool, and each week Gemma collects around 10 large bags of food, meaning lots of food is saved from going to waste.

They are always looking for new volunteers to help at events or with collections. To find out more, visit their Facebook page.

If you would prefer to volunteer with others, you could organise a team volunteering day with your colleagues.

Last year, the GM Business Growth Hub Innovation Navigator team went over to Stockport's Cale Green Park and packed in a raft of tasks on their volunteering day, including removing old notice boards, painting, litter picking, digging-up an old rose bed, cleaning and sanding park benches, weeding and pruning-back overgrown foliage.

Speaking about the experience, Karen Fitzpatrick, Local Innovation Connector, said: "We came together to clean up the park and make a positive impact on the local community and the environment. Volunteering is a win-win situation, offering personal growth, community improvement, and environmental benefits."

Feeling inspired? Here are some places you could look for opportunities:

Team of colleagues volunteering at Cale Green Park
  • The Canal and River Trust has lots of opportunities around the UK to maintain canals, rivers and towpaths: Volunteer with us | Canal & River Trust
  • The RSPB has opportunities on nature reserves to undertake practical conservation work: RSPB Volunteering Opportunities
  • The Wildlife Trusts also has opportunities for conservation volunteers: Volunteering Opportunities | The Wildlife Trusts
  • Your local council website will likely have a dedicated page that list volunteering activities or local organisations that need support, with some having a sustainable angle.
  • Team Green, our colleague green group, is organising some group activities for 2025. If you would like to get involved, contact teamgreen@growthco.uk for more information.

If you’ve taken part in any sustainable volunteering activities, we would love to hear more about what you’ve been doing. Please get in touch at communications@growthco.uk