Countryside Volunteering | Waverley Borough Council

Waverley's countryside rangers lead practical conservation tasks across the borough, all year round, with the help of our dedicated volunteers. Together, they are involved in the management of many of Waverley's fantastic open spaces.

Last year volunteers gave us an incredible 2,738 days of their time - a remarkable achievement which is greatly appreciated by our staff and site users.

Why volunteer?

Help improve your local wildlife habitats and make a real difference to the animals and plants that live there.
Meet new people interested in looking after the countryside.
Conservation volunteering is a great way of keeping fit, getting fresh air and relieving stress.

All tools, protective equipment and supervision are provided by the countryside rangers. They will also explain how to use hand tools safely and give the reasons for the work being carried out. Most importantly, they will provide tea and coffee (please bring your own lunch).

Who can become a volunteer?

Everyone is welcome to come along and help us with our conservation tasks, but under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.

No experience is needed, just plenty of enthusiasm and some elbow grease.

New volunteers are always welcome.

Please do not attend any of our volunteer sessions if you have symptoms of COVID-19. This includes the symptoms of cough, fever, and loss of taste and smell, but also more generic cold-like symptoms such as a sore throat, runny nose, and headache. We will provide hand sanitiser which we encourage you to use during our volunteer sessions.

What to expect

Spring and summer

Tasks include:

removing invasive plants by hand such as ragwort, himalayan balsam and bracken
improving paths
creating steps
installing seats for visitors
litter-picking
hay-making

Autumn and winter

Tasks include:

hedge-laying
coppicing (cutting down poles of hazel and chestnut to regenerate woodland)
pulling out stray Scots pine sapling
removing gorse and birch on heathland
planting trees
clearing ponds of excess vegetation

Register as a volunteer

Before becoming an Waverley Countryside Volunteer, you will need to register as a volunteer

Register as a volunteer

More information

To find out more, please contact the Parks and Countryside team, email parks&countryside@waverley.gov.uk or call 01483 523394.

Check out the Waverley countryside locations for more information on our activities and when they take place.

Volunteer sessions normally take place every Wednesday morning from 9am to 12:30pm to assist in the management in this historic deer park. Meet at 9am at the locations below, parking can be found at the main car park on Folly Hill (GU9 0AU). Sessions led by Nick.

Dates and tasks are subject to change – please check with site noticeboards or the ranger beforehand by calling 01252 717047.

Meeting point map

The map available via the link below will help you find the meeting points each week.

Farnham Park map

Tasks and dates 2025

Wednesday 14 May

Erecting tree protection fencing and vegetation clearance: Putting protective fencing around young trees prevent them being damaged by deer and clearing surrounding vegetation.

Meet at Oast House meadow (J10, ///turns.misty.code)

Wednesday 21 May

Bracken control and path maintenance: Pulling up bracken and improving paths

Meet at Oast House meadow (L9, ///shuffles.agreed.caller)

Wednesday 28 May

Invasive species removal and path maintenance: Pulling up invasive Himalayan balsam and improving paths.

Meet at Halfway Glade (L8, ///successor.oval.mothering)

Wednesday 4 June:

Invasive species removal and path maintenance: Pulling up invasive Himalayan balsam and improving paths.

Meet at Sidney’s Glade (F10, ///bunch.hobby.moving)

Wednesday 11 June

Invasive species removal and path maintenance: Pulling up invasive Himalayan balsam and improving paths.

Meet at Friend’s Pond (G4, ///held.tight.radiates)

Wednesday 18 June

Invasive species control and path maintenance: Searching for and pulling out invasive Himalayan balsam and maintaining paths.

Meet at Yoyo Pond (G9, ///method.coherent.panel)

Wednesday 25 June

Invasive species removal and path maintenance: Pulling up invasive Himalayan balsam and improving paths.

Meet at Motorway Bridge (K5, ///rods.giant.cashiers)

Wednesday 2 July

Path maintenance and vegetation clearance: Cutting back vegetation from path edges.

Meet at the entrance from Bear Lane (A1, ///bloom.meanwhile.losses)

Wednesday 9 July

Invasive species control and path maintenance: Removing invasive species and improving the condition of paths.

Meet at the entrance from St James Avenue (B8, ///grace.gifts.spices)

Wednesday 16 July

Invasive species and bracken removal: Pulling and crushing bracken and other invasive species to favour less aggressive grasses and wildflowers.

Meet at Raspberry Field (N6, ///nerd.steroids.thinking)

Wednesday 23 July

Invasive species and bracken removal: Pulling and crushing bracken and other invasive species to favour less aggressive grasses and wildflowers.

Meet at Whitebottom east (D8, ///empty.rift.forced)

Wednesday 30 July

Invasive species control and path maintenance: Searching for and removing invasive species and maintaining paths.

Meet at the eastern path near Sidney’s Glade (F10, ///cake.full.bells)

Wednesday 6 August

Invasive species and bracken control and path maintenance: Pulling out invasive Himalayan balsam and bracken to prevent these taking over at the expense of less aggressive native grasses and wildflowers.

Meet at Double Bridge (M3, ///coffee.signs.healers)

Wednesday 13 August

Vegetation clearance and path maintenance: Clearing encroaching vegetation from paths.

Meet at Yoyo Pond (G9, ///method.coherent.panel)

Wednesday 20 August

Clearing vegetation and a general tidy up: Clearing vegetation and improving the look of the parkland next to the Castle.

Meet at Castle Ridge south (B1, ///subway.limes.notifying)

Wednesday 27 August

Hedge maintenance: Preparing a hedge for laying in the coming winter.

Meet at Friend’s meadow north (H2, ///grower.atlas.repeats)

Volunteer sessions normally take place every Wednesday from 10am to 3pm, except for the second Wednesday of the month when we instead work at Mare Hill Common. Meet at 10am at the Frensham Great Pond Car Park off Bacon Lane, GU10 2QB, unless otherwise specified in the listing. Sessions led by Darren.

Tasks and dates 2025

Wednesday 21 May

Post and rail fencing: We will be replacing sections of post and rail fencing around the conservation areas at the Great Pond. These areas provide a refuge for wildlife in the busier areas of the common.

Meet at the Great Pond visitor centre, GU10 2QB, before heading off around site.

Wednesday 28 May

Bracken control: We will continue with our bracken control experiments, splitting into two groups, one pulling and one bruising the bracken to assess which method works best to control this invasive fern.