Around 50 community spaces volunteers were thanked for their hard work by South Gloucestershire Council at a special celebration held in Winterbourne on 20 October.
The council’s Community Spaces Network hosted the celebration evening and welcomed volunteers representing the many different groups across the area who help to maintain parks, open spaces, nature reserves and public rights of way, as well as carrying out essential duties such as litter picking in these areas.
More than 23 friends and volunteer groups were represented at the event, which took place at Winterbourne’s Medieval Barn and was opened with a welcome from Councillor Rachael Hunt, cabinet member for communities and local place at South Gloucestershire Council.
Councillor Hunt said: “It was a pleasure to be able to thank some of the hundreds of volunteers across South Gloucestershire who work in all weathers to keep our parks and open spaces maintained and clean and tidy. Their hard work and commitment helps to ensure that we are all able to enjoy the best of what our beautiful area has to offer.
“By working closely with these dedicated volunteers, we are able to share resources and bring working groups together to continue to keep our much-loved green spaces looking their best for our communities for years to come.”
The event also saw speeches from Simon Hunter from Bristol Avon Rivers Trust and an introduction to the Common Connections project to help restore wildlife habitats and reverse the decline in plant and insect species from the council’s biodiversity team. Chair of the South Gloucestershire Green Spaces Forum Steph Purser also gave a talk about how volunteers can achieve great things by working together.
This was the first time the council has been able to thank these green volunteers in person since 2019 due to the Covid pandemic.
The Community Spaces Network is co-ordinated by the Place Improvements Team at South Gloucestershire Council. The network has been set up to enable community groups who help care for public open spaces in South Gloucestershire to share knowledge and resources.
The network is free for groups to join and provides support and information, including volunteer insurance, a volunteer support pack and training. For further information please email communityspaces@southglos.gov.uk
