Practical conservation volunteering activities this spring season 2026
The Downlands Partnership has a great selection of practical conservation volunteering sessions to try in north-east Surrey (Tadworth to Tatsfield) and in the urban fringe, neighbouring countryside areas of Croydon and Sutton.
There is something for everyone to get involved in, with different seasonal countryside tasks taking place on numerous, glorious sites across the partnership area.
We recommend trying a scrub clearance or plant pulling task first if you are new to practical conservation work, but the majority of our tasks are suitable for all ages (over 16s unless accompanied by an adult please) and abilities, as you can work at your own pace and you will be shown exactly what to do. You do need to be fairly fit and enjoy getting out and about in the great outdoors.
How to get involved and find out more
If you have any questions or concerns, please just give us a call for a chat before deciding which task would be best for you to start with. There is no fixed commitment with our conservation crew, you can come and join in as often as you like, for full or half days (morning session). Our task sessions run from 10am and end by 4pm, subject to weather and season, with lunch and tea breaks.
Exercising whilst socialising in the great outdoors with friendly, like-minded people has recognised widespread health and well-being benefits and of course, supports the maintenance and restoration of the beautiful local countryside and its rare habitats too.
Please call our task team based at our Caterham depot on 01737 737306 or email us: downlands@surreycc.gov.uk for further information and to let us know in advance when you would like to come and join in.
To gain an insight into our Downlands Partnership conservation volunteering task days, please visit our Surrey Countryside Partnerships Facebook page.
Please also see our Surrey Countryside Partnerships Volunteer Handbook 2024 (PDF).
We look forward to welcoming you along with our fantastic conservation crew very soon.
Spring 2026 volunteer task programme
During April to June we have the following conservation volunteering task days on offer that are suitable for new volunteers to consider:
| Scheduled task dates 2026 | Countryside site location | Conservation volunteering activity |
|---|---|---|
| 31 March 1 and 2 April | Footpath 159 Bletchingley, Chaldon | Path clearance on the footpath leading down from the North Downs Way to Quarry Hangers to increase vehicular access for our Grazing team |
| 7, 8 and 9 April | Park Ham, Chaldon/Bletchingley | Small scrub clearance to manage the chalk grassland, mainly tree popping hawthorn |
| 5, 6 and 7 May | Hooley Meadows, near Chipstead/Coulsdon | Small scrub clearance and raking up after brushcutting to manage the chalk grassland |
| 12, 13 and 14 May | Chipstead Downs (Dene Farm) and Nork Park, near Banstead | Fence and gate repairs to the cattle grazing areas |
| 26, 27 and 28 May | Croham Hurst, South Croydon | Scrub clearance to manage the heathland and fence repairs at the top of the hill near the viewpoint |
| 2, 3 and 4 June | Sanderstead to Whyteleafe Countryside Area (SWCA) | Site management work including small scrub clearing to manage the chalk grassland This is our quarterly task week supporting Sarah at the SWCA. |
| 9 June | Earlswood Common, near Redhill | Himalayan balsam pulling in the woodland and grassland areas |
| 10 and 11 June | Priory Park, Reigate | Himalayan balsam pulling in the woodland |
| 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 June | 16 June: SWCA 17 June: Featherbed Lane Verge/Chapel Bank, New Addington 18 June: Hutchinson's Bank, New Addington 23 June: Caterham Viewpoint 24 June: Long Hill, Woldingham/Manor Park, Caterham 25 June: Nork Park, near Banstead/Hooley Meadows | Our annual summer condition assessments/species monitoring fortnight. We will be surveying the plant species present to check the site management is working to maintain and restore the chalk grassland habitat/increase biodiversity. By seeing the presence of certain plant species and how many there are, we can assess how successful the countryside management work has been and plan ahead. This is not a physical, green workout task, but involves working together in small groups with quadrats. These are placed across the site in various locations to check which species are present and at what scale, using the monitoring sheet provided and with the guidance of the task leader and other trained volunteers. |
Monday volunteering sessions at the Sanderstead to Whyteleafe Countryside Area
There are also weekly scheduled practical countryside volunteering task sessions held on Mondays with task leader Sarah at the Sanderstead to Whyteleafe Countryside Area (SWCA).
Corporate and community groups volunteering offer
We are pleased to welcome corporate and local community/school groups by arrangement, plus students completing their Duke of Edinburgh awards and work experience/voluntary training placements. We are developing some great local corporate partnerships with various companies, including Toyota GB based in Burgh Heath.
Please kindly note that some of the scheduled dates and locations as above listed may not be available or suitable for group involvement. Please email us at: countrysidepartnershipsteam@surreycc.gov.uk and we can further discuss the best available options for your specific group size together, subject to preferred location and time of year, and to explain the booking arrangements for groups.
We have a separate Surrey Countryside Partnerships corporate volunteering brochure which fully explains our corporate offer, including our financial contribution rates for groups of five or more attendees, which you will receive when you make a group enquiry.
The autumn and winter seasons are the best time to join in as a group, especially for larger numbers, as we run lots of scrub clearing sessions and can sometimes offer bespoke separate team volunteering days at this time of year as well, usually on Fridays. Scrub clearance is the ideal countryside volunteering activity for staff team challenges.
Please note we are now taking bookings for May 2026 onwards for team countryside volunteering days, but have limited options during spring/summer and it greatly depends upon your group size and preferred month(s). Please contact us to further discuss your requirements.
We look forward to hearing from you and to developing many more great corporate partnerships with local companies and with those from neighbouring counties and London as well.
Conservation grazing: voluntary livestock checkers and farm volunteers
The Downlands Partnership runs a busy conservation grazing service vitally supported by a large group of voluntary stock checkers. We also have a small dedicated crew of farm volunteers that regularly help out at our Grazing team base Old Lodge Farm. Find out more about our Grazing service, all our animals and how to get involved with these specific volunteering opportunities on our Downlands Partnership Grazing webpage.
You could support us from your sofa, too!
We are always looking for further monetary support please to fund the purchase of essential items such as tools, materials or even more animals to help us to continue conserving the lovely local landscapes.
If you are unable to help by taking part in practical conservation work, you could please kindly consider supporting the Downlands Partnership by taking up a membership or by giving a donation to our registered independent charity partner, the Downlands Trust.
The Downlands Trust was established in November 2008 and is run by seven dedicated voluntary trustees that actively support our countryside management work; they work hard raising funds through memberships, fundraising and local outreach activities in partnership with us. The Downlands Trust and Downlands Partnership attend targeted public events together to spread the word about the work of both organisations and to promote volunteering and membership opportunities.
The Downlands Trust recently funded the purchase of a large selection of new tools to support our task work and grazing equipment. They have also previously provided very generous financial contributions towards the purchases of essential new off-road vehicles to support the service delivery of our Downlands Partnership task and conservation grazing services.
Please have a look at the Downlands Trust Facebook page to find out more about their charity work and latest news.
Many thanks for your support.