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Following a four-year refurbishment, we opened our brand-new museum exhibition, shop, and café in July 2021. This is an exciting time to join us as we welcome visitors into the new museum for the 2022 season. The gardening volunteers are a friendly team of volunteers who work all year round to maintain the extensive gardens around the David Livingstone Birthplace. They play an important role in making the grounds accessible, attractive, and enjoyable for the wide range of people that visit the grounds. Key activities include grass cutting, weeding, hedge trimming, tidying the grounds, planting, and leaf clearance.

Volunteers will be undertaking a series of conservation tasks including replacing timber steps, woodland management and removal of non-native species. The site is part of the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve. Volunteers would be helping to manage and conserve the site and it’s habitats for the benefit of the wildlife and for people to enjoy. The volunteers could also learn more about the biodiversity, and opportunities are available to get involved in other projects and programmes with South Lanarkshire Council's Greenspace Team and Clydesdale Community Initiatives. No skills required. Guidance, training and tools talks are given for each task. The group meet once a month (the last Thursday of the month) from 10.30am and finish up at 2.30 pm approx. 2020 dates here: http://www.locator.org.uk/events/chatelherault-environmental-volunteering

Love being outdoors? Love your local woodland? Join the Mauldslie Woods Volunteering Team. Come along and carry out a variety of practical woodland conservation and management tasks, whilst having fun, learning new skills and meeting new people. The group meet on Mauldslie Bridge in Carluke at 10.15am and the group runs until 3.00pm. Dates for 2020 here: http://www.locator.org.uk/events/mauldslie-woods-volunteer-team

Garden volunteer at Larkhall Community Garden is an exciting and unique opportunity to be part of a friendly horticulture team. The volunteer will help us maintain our Community Garden in Hareleeshill Larkhall which was previously derelict land. Volunteer will gain experience in working on raised beds, sensory garden wildlife garden and within our polytunnels. To assist in seasonal gardening tasks throughout the year that will develop as the gardens develop. Volunteers will work in supervised groups led by a line manager. Some tasks are physically demanding and require a level of manual dexterity. Volunteers will work to the Larkhall Community Growers health and safety policies and procedures. • Garden maintenance – including weeding, mulching, edging, raking, digging over, staking and tying in, pruning, dead heading, bed preparation, tidying and path maintenance. • Seasonal propagation and growing on – including seed sowing, cuttings, potting up. • Composting – turning and processing, spreading and digging in. • Bed renovation and grounds development - reinstating and installing beds, ground preparation, planting, bulb planting. • Clearing overgrown areas – keeping on top of any invasive species. • While support and training will be provided, from time to time volunteers may work independently or without one to one supervision We will provide volunteers with an induction, including health and safety procedures. Specific horticultural skills will be developed whilst on the job. This opportunity provides strong links to improved mental health; creating a positive routine, enjoying outdoor space, the opportunity to socialise, become more hands on with natures calender and see and feel the benefits of your hard work bare fruit.

We are looking for volunteers to work with Kirsty, our Let’s Grow project Community Gardener, who is based at the David Livingstone Birthplace in Blantyre. Let’s Grow is an employability and personal development project for school leavers who need support to help them move into the world of work. They are spending 2 days a week on work placement in the gardens and park area to gain valuable practical skills and experience. Volunteers will have the opportunity to be hands on with the gardening side and also support and mentor the young people. There is a large variety of gardening and maintenance tasks to be done – weeding, ground clearing, building compost bins, clearing leaves, path maintenance, pond cleaning, planting etc For most of our young participants this is their first experience of any kind of work. There is a maximum of 6 participants per group. Volunteers will be a valuable source of support for them to help build their communication skills, develop effective relationships and benefit from interacting with a positive role model. We are working with young people who have either recently left school or who are in the last 6 months of education but often not attending. All our participants require some form of support to help them make the transition from school to the world of work as they have various barriers. This includes lack of experience, low or no qualifications, health issues, hidden disabilities and particularly anxiety / poor mental health, lack of confidence and self-esteem. We have some with autism and / or ADHD.

Finding opportunities for tree planting projects, liaising with landowners, explaining the group's aims

The William Quarrier Scottish Epilepsy Centre provides the only residential assessment and treatment centre in Scotland for adults with epilepsy. The Centre is an Independent Hospital operated by Quarriers Charity providing services to patients and clinicians across Scotland. The modern, 12 bed in-patient facility provides flexible, patient-centred residential assessment for adults aged 16 years and over. The Centre also operates the onsite William Quarrier Conference Centre which has a variety of meeting rooms let out to many different client groups ranging from the NHS, local businesses to other charities. Client Group Patients aged 16+ years who are admitted for up to 4 weeks at a time for seizure assessment and evaluation. These patients may have additional medical issues and support needs as well as seizure activity. Also any people attending meetings or events in the conference side of the building that you might come into contact with. Purpose Of The Role Do you have: 1) An interest in gardening, and would you like to improve the patient experience of those within an epilepsy assessment Centre? 2) Would you like to help out around the building doing odd jobs to support the facilities team? If you enjoy gardening and doing handyman jobs, and would like to share your interests, then this is the role for you! Your support will make a huge difference to the lives of the patients we support. Main Tasks Gardening: To maintain and develop our central courtyard garden area and rear and side bed areas with support from interested patients who are in the Centre at that time. This would include: • Weeding • Planting/potting up plants • Watering flower beds • Re-soiling/seeding • Maintaining the plants/general garden tidy • Providing any advice on making the garden look nice Handyman Tasks: To carry out odd jobs as required. This will be varied but might include such things as: • Putting up coat hooks • Fixing cupboard doors • Patch up paint jobs • General domestic maintenance • Moving furniture Where & When At the William Quarrier Scottish Epilepsy Centre in Govan. Ideally for a morning or afternoon one or two days a week depending on the volunteer’s availability. Weekend volunteering would also be considered if this was preferable. Commitment Required To get the most out of the role and see developments in the garden throughout spring, summer, autumn and winter it would be good if you could commit for a year. The minimum commitment we would ask though would be 6 months if possible. However, it is ultimately up to you how long you would like to volunteer. What Are The Benefits • Gaining experience in supporting staff • We give our volunteers a sense of family, together transforming the lives of the vulnerable people we care for and support • Gaining new experiences and learn new skills • Build confidence and gain a sense of achievement • Improved physical and mental health wellbeing • Free training and development • Adding to your CV • Trying something new and meet new people • Have fun! Selection Procedure Volunteer application form, references, interview, and PVG check. The volunteer will be required to work within the Centre’s local policies and Quarriers standards. Disabled Access Full disabled access throughout the building.

We're looking for an adult volunteer who will provide a supportive friendship for a socially isolated young person aged between 8 and 18 who lives in South Ayrshire. Ideally this will involve meeting with their young person every couple of weeks for a few hours, spending time together accessing local activities. This includes: • Be matched on a 1:1 basis with a young person. • Go on regular outings and activities with the young person. • Have the opportunity to participate in group outings/activities and also volunteer support sessions. • Keeping in touch with the Project about the young person’s achievements / growth and activities, and to receive ongoing support from the Project. • Open minded as the Project works with young people from a wide variety of backgrounds. • Following training, to be able to have empathy and understanding of some of the issues encountered by young people referred to the Project. • Continuous focus on the needs of the young person who you are matched with. • Willing to participate in a broad range of activities mutually agreed with the young person. • To be a positive adult role model for the young person and, very importantly, to have FUN! • Have an awareness of and be able to adhere to the Project’s policies and procedures.

Are you interested in helping our tenants bring their communal gardens back to life? Our Retirement Schemes across city are looking for experienced gardeners (or a keen amateur) to help restore these wonderful spaces back into shape. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our tenants have not been able to care for their once-loved outdoor spaces, and they are in need of a friendly and patient volunteer to help out. So if you have green fingers, and want to help they elderly tenants in our Retirement schemes to be able to enjoy their green spaces again, get in touch! Training and gardening tools will be provided, times and commitment can be decided between the volunteer and coordinator prior to starting.

Assist the Ranger Service as they tackle a variety of conservation tasks that will improve the environment and biodiversity in South Ayrshire blue and green spaces. No experience necessary, everyone welcome. Hot drinks and biscuits provided, bring lunch and suitable outdoor clothing. Meet at Rozelle Lodge, 149 Monument Road, Ayr, KA7 4NQ every second Wednesday between 10.30am and 2pm. For any further information please contact the Ranger team on ranger.service@south-ayrshire.gov.uk or via Facebook.