We meet between 10a.m and 12 noon [inc. time for a well deserved coffee every Tuesday morning during summer months. If the weather is fine we are outdoors looking after veg. plots, flower borders, cutting grass and weeding the paths etc. The garden itself is a beautiful hidden gem. We have also adopted planters in the area between library and centre so we also look after them. If the weather is wet or too cold to be outside we have a room booked indoors and take the chance to look after the indoor plants in the Centre. The veg patches are quite productive so come September we are enjoying our own produce! This season we also have 4 raised beds in the new community garden in the area next door. This means that if you have any physical problems there is still ample opportunity to garden so do join us. We are all amateurs so are learning as we go. It is lovely watching the garden develop over the months and being out in the fresh air is very therapeutic. We have all the tools .... just come along any Tuesday!

Gardening in the Spring Grove is an opportunity to improve your physical and emotional well-being. It is an opportunity to feel useful in your local community. This work will give you a feeling of ownership over part of the park while learning a new skll, rebuild an old one and share in fellowship with like-minded people.

Help support our Tuesday volunteers from 9am-12pm on Tuesday mornings. This would involve helping out with tools and tasks down at the burn. Tasks are wide ranging and involve everything from litter picking, tree planting, wildflower sowing, pond maintenance and large scale burn clear ups. Some knowledge of conservation tasks would be useful but we are most interested in someone who will enthuse the group and have fun whilst carrying out the tasks. Minibus driving ability (D1 on licence) would be brilliant but is definitely not essential. Please take a look at our Facebook and Instagram pages to understand a bit more about our project. We are volunteer-led and always working to improve the burn for the community and wildlife.

Volunteers can be involved with gardening tasks, designing new areas of garden development, planning and running events. We are always keen to build on volunteer’s interests, skills and experience and therefore encourage suggestions and ideas and volunteers from all walks of life. It is not expected new volunteers to be an expert, or even to have any previous gardening experience. We welcome an array of skills.

At Duthie Park you will have the opportunity to work at one of best purposely designed gardens in Scotland. You will be given the opportunity to help out with the day to day maintenance of the community gardens, planting and there will also be an opportunity to learn more about the history and heritage of the Park. An ideal opportunity for those who are interested in a change in career, want to learn more about gardening or those who enjoy the outdoors, gardening or want to be a bit more active. You will be made to feel very welcome as we are a very friendly, dynamic group and greatly appreciate help that volunteers give. This is a great, enjoyable opportunity to help in the local community and be involved in assisting in the exciting development of one of the best gardens in Scotland. For more information please contact: Arthur Gill (Outreach & Training Officer) at E Mail: argill@aberdeencity.gov.uk or Tel.: 01224 585310.

We hope that everyone has been enjoying the gardens and the floral arrangements in our Stenhousemuir and Larbert communities so far. As we come into early autumn we should start to consider preparing the gardens & tubs for the spring. There is still time to do that and as such we would like to invite the community to come together and join our already established team. This is much more than volunteering in the community, this is about being part of the community. You do not have to be an experienced gardener or even have green fingers. We are simply looking for anyone who would like to come out on any day that suits them and work with our team. You will have a say on what goes in the ground, what and where our planters are placed and much more importantly, you will get to meet new people and make friends at our monthly meetings.

Ardler Environmental Group are responsible for the maintainance and upkeep of the Ardler Community Garden area. Our volunteers meet once a week on Wednesday mornings to develop and maintain the gardens for the enjoyment of the community. You will help with weeding beds and planting new plants both for the gardens and for selling at community festivals. You can learn about different plants and their upkeep, hanging baskets and how to layout a garden. More experienced gardeners can share their knowledge with the rest of the group who are always keen to learn. When the weather is less clement the group organises trips to garden centres and other gardens to get ideas which you are welcome to take part in.

Support our exciting community Compass Project and help to transform the naturally-beautiful and historic 4.1 acre former Waldorf School site into a centre demonstrating practical solutions for healthy, sustainable lifestyles. The project has something for everyone including opportunities to find out and participate in: • sustainable building practices with conservation of the listed main building & sensitive repurposing of the others – dry-stone wall restoration, stripping back damaged plasterboard ready for refurbishment, sorting building materials and items for re-purposing and upcycling. • an integrated, creative health & education approach, supported by the natural & built environment – we offer opportunities for volunteers from secondary schools to participate in appropriate outdoor projects onsite. • sustainable social enterprise projects serving the local community and involving those with learning disabilities – experience circular economy in practice as we start to outlet local organic produce and plants onsite on a donation basis. • organic/biodynamic land use with nutritious food production, no-dig demonstration allotments, composting, beehives, wild flower meadow and woodland – keen gardeners are always welcome to come and help create a no-dig system from scratch so you never have to weed again! Experienced chain-saw operators can help manage our woodland. • repair, reuse & recycle practices minimising waste and encouraging sustainability – furniture and other items for upcycling. -Compass needs you! We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers who are willing to lend a hand with whatever needs doing. We hold regular Saturday volunteer days where you can enjoy meeting like-minded people working together to make a visible difference to our site after each session. Volunteers tell us it is very satisfying to see how much of a difference their work can make. Volunteers with specialised skills such as joiners, plumbers and DIY-enthusiasts will be especially welcome as we enter the next phase of our project to strip out the existing buildings ready for refurbishment. ‘Being out in the fresh air with others, seeing changes happening and feeling like I was part of a bigger process. I have also enjoyed meeting others who are enthused about the project. Sense of community, healthy activities. Very friendly co-ordinator and other helpers so feeling of welcome is lovely. I also value the fact that I only manage a couple of hours but this is still appreciated and I don't feel guilty when I feel like my body needs to stop! Beautiful grounds to work in’. – Compass volunteer ‘Such a great sense of satisfaction and wellbeing experienced at the end of 2 hours of hard physical work. This has sparked off an interest in gardening and growing plants at home. And also enjoyed being part of a community and meeting new people each time I come along who are equally enthusiastic about this project’. – Compass volunteer Everyone is welcome at Compass and we look forward to working with you onsite! You can find out more on our website: www.camphillwellbeing.org.uk/compass or email: compass@cwt.scot for further details on volunteering with this exciting project.

Fresh (Fitness, Recovery, Exercise, Safe, Health) Community Wellness - help in the community through providing wellness walks and chat safe space sessions, activities that connect with nature, fun litter picks, easy exercise education and fun fitness, befriending and mentoring to encourage those who may not currently be connected in the community, with gentle motivation from friendly community volunteers. As well as the inclusion of lived experience. To help in this important work we are currently seeking people to assist as Wellness & Nature Enthusiast Volunteer Leaders. Enthusiasm to help run the area ‘hub’, promote, look after guests and volunteers, work with our Committee to further benefit parks and communities in Aberdeen. Good support and relevant training is provided to all volunteers. Training offered for induction then optional specialisms as per individual. All help makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. A fantastic opportunity to help and all assistance is greatly appreciated. For more information please contact us at email: admin@freshcommunitywellness.com

Fresh (Fitness, Recovery, Exercise, Safe, Health) Community Wellness - help in the community through providing wellness walks and chat safe space sessions, activities that connect with nature, fun litter picks, easy exercise education and fun fitness, befriending and mentoring to encourage those who may not currently be connected in the community, with gentle motivation from friendly community volunteers. As well as the inclusion of lived experience. To help in this fantastic and important work we are currently seeking people to assist with a wide range of roles. This includes helping as: -Gardening, Tidying & Nature Enthusiast Volunteers -Handy Person/Upcycling Outdoor Items Volunteers -Community Walks Volunteers and Walk Leaders -Community Garden Painting Volunteers -Community Improvement Volunteers -Community Gardeners -Helping with practical tasks e.g.: joinery, painting -Phone or Internet Initial Befriending Volunteers -Fundraiser/Events/Awareness Volunteers -Admin. Volunteers -Welfare Outreach Assistants -Committee Member and Governance Volunteers -Design Volunteers -PR, Presentations & Networking Volunteers -Home Based Wellness Assistants -Video, Film & Music Social Issues Volunteers -Social Media Volunteers -Befriending and Wellness Volunteers -Wellness & Nature Enthusiast Volunteer Hub Leaders Good support and relevant training is provided in all roles to all volunteers. Training offered for induction then optional specialisms as per individual. All help makes a real difference and is greatly appreciated. A tremendous opportunity to help, make a real difference in the community and be part of a great, welcoming voluntary group. All assistance is greatly appreciated. For more information about any of our volunteer roles please email us at: admin@freshcommunitywellness.com Further details are also available via our websites and social media at www.freshcommunitywellness.com , https://twitter.com/FreshCWellness and https://www.facebook.com/freshcommunitywellness