Chris Speirs, The Community Volunteering Charity

TCV The Community Volunteering Charity

Chris SpeirsTCV Health Development Manager16th July 2015

© The Conservation Volunteers 2015

© The Conservation Volunteers 2015Community Green Gym®

Afternoon Programme:

Join in, feel good


Community Green Gym®

2.00 Green Gym Warm-up 2.10 Green Gym Introduction2.25 Bromley Green Gym – Ching Chua2.35 Penge Green Gym – Brenda Little2.45 Q&A3.00 Breakout sessions/feedback on the barriers and benefits to becoming self-sustaining3.30 Reflections and actions

Join in, feel good



TCV - The Community Volunteering Charity

• Established 1959 as BTCV

• 11,000 registered volunteers 2014/15

• Over 1 million volunteer hours

• Manage 2000 Green Spaces

• Network of 2000 Community Groups

• Urban Ecology Parks

• Local Nature Reserves

• Green Gym

• Leadership

• Natural Talent

Join in, feel good



TCV Green Gym®

• Established in 1997

• Partnership between TCV and GP

• 1997 Oxfordshire pilot in GP Surgery

• Over 100 Green Gyms in the UK

• 36 Community Green Gyms

• 1200 new people joined a TCV Green Gym in 2014/15

• 25% from top 15% most deprived areas

• 77% of Green Gym participants have never taken part in practical conservation volunteering before

Green GymCommunity

Groups

Join in, feel good



There’s always going to be aneed for local people and groups to look after the places where they live. The last 10 years have seen the number of people involved in local action on the environment treble across the UK.

‘Environments for All’- TCV

TCV Community Network

Join in, feel good



• All around the UK, more people than ever before are getting together in community groups to improve their local environments.

• TCV's Community Network already supports several thousand groups.

• Membership of the Network is open to all community groups, clubs, schools or local organisations wanting to work for a better environment.

Bromley Green Gym

Thursday, 16 July 2015

Ching C ChuaBromley Green Gym Secretary

Penge Green Gym Community Group/Friends of Winsford Gardens

Where?

july2015 conference_connecting green space projects


When? •Private gardens bequeathed to London Borough of Bromley, 1980s•Neglected [+anti-social behaviour]•May 2011: The Conservation Volunteers, LBB + corporate financial support [The Glades]•May 2011- April 2013: TCV officer support, TCV volunteers, local volunteers, establishing management group of local volunteers



Transition period May 2011 – April 2013 •Undertaking activities underpinning 3 main aims: improving environment for local community; improving environment for wildlife; improving well-being of volunteers •Self-identification of 3 or 4 possible project leaders; TCV training [leadership, health and safety, emergency first aid, etc]•Establishing constitution for community group + main roles [chair, treasurer, secretary]; adopting TCV principles and practices for green gyms [TCV manual]



Independence, April 2013 •‘working’ management group, 3 TCV-trained project leaders, TCV green gym manual, plus ‘security blanket’ of ongoing support agreement with TCV [6 officer days/year] and London Borough of Bromley [contracted-out grass cutting and emptying litter bins, + public liability insurance cover]•Some monies already in the bank account •Access to TCV Chestnut fund grants [basic start-up] •Daunting prospect, nevertheless



April 2013 – present day •Becoming a community group and being a sustainable community group •Sustainable – being able to bear [strain, suffering] without collapse•Financial aspects•People aspects



Sustainability - finance aspects •bids to local retailers [eg Waitrose Community Matters], and regional funders [eg Metropolitan Public Gardens Association; Mayor of London Capital Clean-up]•running corporate days [arranged through Project Dirt]•sponsored activities•open days [to encourage more locals to know about, and use the park]



Sustainability - people/volunteer aspects •need volunteers on-the-ground , plus ‘core’ group to do work behind the scenes on regular basis, plan weekly activities, network, etc

•volunteer turn-over – some [younger] volunteers active for few weeks/months then move [back] into paid employment; referrals from social care agencies; succession planning

•growing presence of Friends Forum, a group coordinating activities of 30+ ‘friends of’ volunteer groups looking after Bromley’s parks and open spaces; liaison with the borough; organising training courses at local level for ‘friends’ groups

•possible issue for ‘us’ –need more very local people



Sustainability - use of gardens as a local free outdoor resource •raising profile within local community – this year’s open day advertised as part of [annual 3-week] Penge Festival …as well as part of London Open Gardens Squares Weekend•local twitter feeds, facebook presence; links to web-site from Penge Tourist Board web-site, etc•local brownie group and child-care nurseries using the park•publicity in local newsshopper










What are the barriers to achieving a sustainablecommunity green space

project?

Join in, feel good



Join in, feel good


1. Sufficient trained leaders/first-aiders/mentors2. Take-up of key roles and responsibility in committee3. Agreement with landowners4. Funding5. Supporting long-term volunteers with special needs6. Support from a Network7. Ongoing training8. Steady stream of new participants and volunteers


What are the benefits of a self-sustaining

green space project?

Join in, feel good



Join in, feel good



1. Ensuring a legacy and activity into the future2. Empowering/training more local community leaders3. Allows resources to be use to develop more projects4. Independence – less bureaucracy5. Community Resilience – ability to adapt to change locally6. Support from a wide-range of networks7. Less funding restrictions8. Access to funding not available to large charity, TCV

tcv.org.uk/[email protected]

@TCVGreenGymfacebook.com/TheConservationVolunteers

Join in, feel good

© The Conservation Volunteers 2015Community Green Gym®

mailto:[email protected]

Education

Chris Speirs, The Community Volunteering Charity