The council values the enormous contribution given by local volunteers who help to manage our parks and open spaces for the benefit of both people and wildlife. This page offers general advice on how you can volunteer across the council’s green spaces, as well as how to run nature-related activities on council land, while raising awareness of the safety requirements.
We have a duty of care to ensure that all locally organised activities on council land are held in a safe manner.
The guidance aims to be comprehensive and covers most of the regular activities and hazards relating to green space volunteering. However, on occasion, unforeseen circumstances may occur that mean new temporary or permanent guidance is issued which could work alongside, or override, elements of existing guidance. If this is the case, all community groups and volunteers will be notified.
The main guide for information about volunteering in council open spaces, from opportunities and communication, to health and safety, insurance and environmental considerations.
It is a good background document for new volunteers, as well as those with less experience, and should answer most common queries for those who have been volunteering for longer.
The toolkit supports the guide for green space volunteering. It helps explain the planning and monitoring that needs to be done in order to undertake activities safely in public open space.
The templates below:
Groups are required to submit the Safety Plan to the council after every event.
Safety plan for green space volunteer tasks(DOCX) [36 kb]
Groups are required to submit the following forms to the council annually.
PPE and first aid checklist(DOCX) [30 kb]
Tool inventory and maintenance checklist(DOCX) [24 kb]
Tool store safety checklist(DOCX) [24 kb]
Groups are required to submit this form to the council quarterly.
Volunteer hours return(DOCX) [23 kb]
Example of Volunteer hours return(PDF) [372 kb]
Only groups who have booked Community Payback need to complete this form in advance of their session and submit to the council.
Community Payback task checklist(DOCX) [24 kb]
Our work party safety checklist is useful for monitoring purposes.
Work party safety checklist(DOCX) [26 kb]
This is a tool safety manual which demonstrates how to use, store and maintain some of the most common hand tools conservation volunteers use.
It’s a good induction for new volunteers, as well as providing a reference for any queries from existing volunteers.
All open spaces worked in, or providing the backdrop for, an event must be risk assessed, along with any activities being undertaken in those sites.
A risk assessment identifies:
Control measures can then be put in place to reduce the likelihood of the hazard causing harm, thus reducing the risk factor.
Below are template risk assessments that volunteers and local green space groups can edit and use.
Our Community Green Space Officer can also support groups to produce new risk assessments and to update existing ones.
All risk assessments used by groups must be reviewed and signed off annually by the council, as well as after any amendments/updates. It is important that all volunteers and members of groups have seen and understand the risk assessments relevant to them and the control measures in place to keep them, the general public and the environment safe.
Risk assessment - bat walk(PDF) [166 kb]
Risk assessment - burning bush(PDF) [169 kb]
Risk assessment - coppicing(PDF) [170 kb]
Risk assessment - driving on site(PDF) [182 kb]
Risk assessment - ecological surveying(PDF) [178 kb]
Risk assessment - generic volunteer work party(PDF) [167 kb]
Risk assessment - guided walk(PDF) [116 kb]
Risk assessment - litter pick(PDF) [180 kb]
Risk assessment - mini beast hunt(PDF) [183 kb]
Risk assessment - pond dipping(PDF) [181 kb]
Risk assessment - site - generic tool store(PDF) [184 kb]
Risk assessment - site - template(PDF) [194 kb]
Risk assessment - transporting tools(PDF) [165 kb]
Receive information on council services, news and events by email.
Subscribe© 2026 Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council