Set up and run a Friends of Park Group

Start your own Park Friend Group, health and safety requirements and resources for your group.

Start your own Friends of Park Group

You can start a new group in a park where none exists.

Set up a Friends of Park Group

Your group will need to have at least one main contact person.
Once your group is created you may want to set up:

• a Facebook page and Twitter profile
• a website

Health and Safety

To start planning activities as a Friends of Park Group, you’ll need to have at least one person who’s attended our one day Bristol Parks Health and Safety training .

Apply for health and safety training

A trained group member or volunteer leader must supervise your work to keep the group safe and make sure you comply with health and safety requirements. Once you’ve completed our Health and Safety training you’ll also be covered under the Bristol City Council public liability insurance. 

• Sample risk assessments and health and safety forms for working in parks (word doc, 1.9MB) (opens new window)
• Attendance sheet for parks volunteers (word doc, 38KB) (opens new window)
• Health and safety plan template (word doc, 137KB) (opens new window)
• Risk assessment template (word doc, 18KB) (opens new window)
• Accident report form (word doc, 16KB) (opens new window)

Coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety protocol for group volunteering in parks

• Group Volunteering Protocol for Social Distancing (pdf, 183KB) (opens new window)
• Individual Volunteering Protocol for Social Distancing (pdf, 143KB) (opens new window)
• Risk Assessment for Community Volunteering (pdf, 332KB) (opens new window)

Resources for Friends of Parks Groups

Use the guides below to help you with different tasks.

Roles in the group

• how to be a chairperson (pdf, 38KB) (opens new window)
• how to be a secretary (pdf, 44KB) (opens new window)
• how to be a treasurer (pdf, 35KB) (opens new window)

Finance

• applying for grant funding (pdf, 76KB) (opens new window)
• how to open a bank account (pdf, 58KB) (opens new window)

Media

• tips for press releases (pdf, 50KB) (opens new window)
• how to give radio interviews (pdf, 47KB) (opens new window)
• Bristol media contact list (pdf, 42KB) (opens new window)

Tips and survey

• tips for conservation work (pdf, 44KB) (opens new window)
• sample survey form (word doc, 26KB) (opens new window)

Working effectively with volunteers

Volunteer Pledge (pdf, 212KB) (opens new window)

Volunteering Charter (pdf, 291KB) (opens new window)