In this blog, we hear more about the LSE Estates Team and the time they spent over reading week volunteering at the London Wildlife Trust. As the Estates Team reminds us, LSE is supportive of staff taking up to 5 days a year for volunteering! You can connect with the Volunteer Centre for help on how to find a volunteering opportunity that fits your needs.

On 7th March, 6 LSE Estates Green Impact team staff members volunteered in Sydenham Hill Wood, South London, planting trees for the London Wildlife Trust. Over 200 trees were planted during the day as part of the Great North Wood project, which aims to secure the future of the historical wood for years to come. The Great North Wood Project not only aims to conserve and restore the woodland, but also to create improved habitats for a variety of species, connect people with nature and create job opportunities.

A variety of tree saplings had been delivered to the site that morning, including Hawthorn, Hazel and Wild Cherry. Planting the trees involved submerging the roots in water and then using shovels and forks, to dig holes in the ground, which was particularly hard due to the freezing temperatures (it even snowed a bit)! Once the hole was deep enough to cover the roots, we put the tree in and lightly patted earth to fill the hole, ensuring there was space for air and water to make its way in.

All of us found the day really rewarding (albeit physically exhausting), and enjoyed spending a day out of the office, reconnecting with nature and working together as a team. We had our lunch with the whole volunteering team outside in the woodland, absorbing our surroundings. Luckily the snow didn’t start until after lunch!

The volunteering day contributes to one of the LSE Estate’s ‘Gold’ actions for the Green Impact award, as we aim to achieve another Platinum Award this year. Green Impact is LSE’s staff sustainability engagement programme, providing a driving force and framework for sustainable action in teams school-wide.

LSE encourages staff members to take up to 5 days paid volunteering leave per year, at line managers discretion for sign off. Julian Robinson, the Director of Estates, is very supportive of our efforts as part of Green Impact.

Interested in environmental volunteering? Here’s a few charities you could start with exploring:

· https://www.wildlondon.org.uk/volunteer-with-us · https://www.treesforcities.org/get-involved/volunteer

· https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/volunteer/opportunities

If LSE Estates has inspired you to volunteer, check out one of our other ongoing opportunities or book a one-to-one with David Coles, the Volunteer Centre Manager if you have more questions. And why not follow us on Twitter, and Instagram to stay up-to-date with our events and opportunities and read our blog for more volunteering tips and stories.