Get involved in helping us care for the wildlife and plant life of the park, learn some gardening skills, and meet like-minded people! Join the Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park in a new All-ability Volunteering programme.

Our All-ability Volunteering programme is designed for people who have limited mobility, underlying health conditions and disabilities. The activities will be tailored to you and your needs, and our staff will work with you to ensure that you can contribute to our work and benefit from the volunteer opportunities.

All-ability volunteering sessions start at 11:00 and end at 14:30 with regular breaks.

The sessions will consist of a range of tasks tailored to individuals:

• Planting bulbs and bedding plants
• Tree planting
• Supporting our Heritage Officer to locate and record graves in response to public enquiries
• Litter picking
• Weeding

We supply all tools and equipment, refreshments, and a light lunch. You will need to wear clothes and shoes suitable for working outdoors. You must be 16 or older to attend. If you have difficulty booking, please email contact@fothcp.org or call 0208 983 1277 and leave a message with your name, phone, email, and the date you'd like to book.

What to bring

1. Wear sturdy shoes, trousers (no shorts!), and ideally long sleeves. Dress for the weather. Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. We have lots of stinging nettles and brambles!
2. Bring a water bottle/reusable cup. We'll provide biscuits, tea, coffee, and a light lunch and tap water.
3. If you have them: Bring your own gardening/work gloves. We can provide gloves if you do not have your own.
4. If you cycle, there is no indoor bike storage. You can lock it up outside, still within the Soanes Centre railings.

On the day

1. Please arrive on time and go to the meeting area: in front of the Soanes Centre, E3 4PX. We begin work around 11:15.
2. Staff will tell give you instructions for both the tasks you'll be doing, and health & safety measures (e.g. tool use). If you don't follow these instructions, you will be asked to leave.
   
3. Staff will stay with the group - both for a chat and any questions you have. There may be periods when the group is not supervised by a staff member if an urgent matter arises. 

Access statement

• This is an accessible, inclusive volunteering activity. The maximum number of participants is 15.

• Volunteers travelling by public transport or incurring travel costs to participate will be reimbursed. Receipts will be required.

• Volunteering activities will require walking to the work area. The total distance covered will be less than 1km. The paths are approximately 1-2m wide. The surface is crushed concrete fines, a type of hard-packed fine gravel (which doesn't turn to mud in rain) or earth although we may head into some areas off the paths where access is more limited by uneven walkways. There are benches with backs at regular distances around the Cemetery Park. Some of the site is shaded. There is on-street parking in the area.

• Chairs will be available throughout the activities.

• Please contact us with at least 2 weeks’ notice if you’d like BSL or other interpretation/translation and we will do our best to accommodate. Sadly, we have no-one in house who can offer this service.

• Toilets will be available in the Soanes Centre. There is a toilet that was deemed accessible when it was refurbished in 2007, but it is not accessible in line with today's standards. It is approximately 2x2 m2 and there is a fixed support bar on the left of the toilet, with a movable bar on the right. There is no adult changing table or hoist. We will be working close to toilet facilities for most activities and never more than a 10-minute walk from our toilet facilities.

• We are not able to offer baby changing facilities but we can provide a private space for breastfeeding on request.

• If you need space to pray throughout the day, please let us know and we'll do our best to offer you a private space.

• Our aim for this activity is to be as accessible as possible, and we are constantly learning how to do this better. If you would like to let us know about any specific requirements or access needs that you would like us to meet, or offer feedback on our accessibility arrangements, please email richard.nimmo@fothcp.org. We want you to feel safe in nature.

Contact us for more info - 0208 983 1277 or email us on contact@fothcp.org

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