Lead volunteers carry out practical activities in parks with council training and insurance cover, following our parks health and safety processes.
We work with over 150 lead volunteers and offer training for successful lead applicants 5 to 8 times a year.
Lead volunteers are provided with a role description for their activities. This could include practical work such as litter picking or plant care, leading walks and talks in parks, or doing wildlife surveys.
You'll need to apply to be a lead volunteer if you want to:
- set up a new Friends of Park group
- start a new wildlife project, or wildlife survey
- support one of our rangers to lead work sessions
We currently offer 4 lead volunteer roles:
To find out more about our lead volunteer opportunities and to discuss what's currently on offer, email parkvolunteers@bristol.gov.uk or phone our Parks Volunteer Coordinator on 078 1050 6738.
Successful lead volunteer applicants will be invited to our Parks Health and Safety training.
The course covers key aspects in organising and running volunteer activities in a green space, including risk assessments, tool use, hazardous plants and additional support.
Trained parks and green space lead volunteers are covered under our personal accident and public liability insurance to lead group participants in a range of practical tasks using hand tools.
Lead volunteers are responsible for group participants' health and safety and will have a designated volunteer manager to support them in the role.
The resources below include essential forms, guidance and risk assessments to support the lead and co-lead volunteer roles.
Volunteering with Bristol Parks Agreement
Lead Volunteer and Bristol Parks Volunteering Agreement (pdf, 85 KB)
Forms
- Site specific risk assessment template (docx, 50 KB)
- Park volunteer activity health and safety plan (docx, 56 KB)
- Accident report form (docx, 42 KB)
- Attendance sheet for work sessions (docx, 24 KB)
General risk assessments
- General risk assessment form: relevant to any outdoor work sessions (docx, 58 KB)
- Tool use (docx, 48 KB)
- Manual handling (docx, 68 KB)
Activity-based risk assessments
- Guided walks and talks (docx, 83 KB)
- Litter picking (docx, 68 KB)
- Scrub and vegetation clearance (docx, 81 KB)
- Scything risk assessment (docx, 60 KB)
- Wildlife recording (docx, 64 KB)
- Working in or near water (docx, 73 KB)
- Orchard tree care, plant care and bulb planting (odt, 30 KB)
Nature conservation guidance
Bristol Parks Nature Conservation Guidance and timetable for actions (docx, 65 KB)
Visit Team Wilder (Avon Wildlife Trust's) website for information on how to start a new project and access training and resources including how-to guides on meadow creation, natural barriers and dead hedges.