This week (1st June-7th June 2026) is Volunteers Week, a UK-wide campaign to recognise the amazing contributions of volunteers.

To celebrate, all this week we’ll be sharing stories of volunteers in our communities. Today it’s the Friends of Bournville Park!

Tell us a bit about the Friends of Bournville Park
Friends of Bournville Park was set up in 2020 with Joan Hosfield as Chair of Trustees. The aim of the group is to make Bournville Park the best it can be for locals and visitors to the area. We do it in lots of different ways, from keeping the park tidy to our summer community picnic, when we have lots of different activities for all the family and it’s all for free. The centrepiece is the duck race – which featured almost 300 ducks last year. But there were lots of other activities – tennis competitions and the opportunity to try lots of other sports and games. Tennis is the mainstay of our offerings with free coach-led tennis sessions provided by volunteers and LTA trained coaches. We pay for everything through grants and donations, which allows us to fund a monthly Forest School, weekly t’ai chi every Thursday at midday and other summer holiday activities. We’ve been able to purchase two sets of football goals, which are used almost daily, even in the rain! We also work to keep nature at the forefront – for instance, volunteers trimmed all of the linden trees in the park and then used the chippings to make a pathway near the water fountain. We have balsam bashes to keep the brook banks clear and have planted more bulbs around the park.

Why are volunteers so important to you?
Volunteers are vital because we want to provide everything for free. The more volunteers we have, the more activities we can provide. At the moment, we have a few trustees and volunteers who do a lot, and this is around family life and work.

What kind of things can volunteers help with?
We need people to help run activities, help at events, do litter picks, help with social media and publicity. At the moment, we’re looking for more volunteers to help improve the playground and are already looking forward to planning events to coincide with the Invictus Games next year.

How much time/commitment do volunteers need to give?
Volunteers can give as much or as little time as they wish. If you can help with a litter pick, or help run a stall at our picnic in September, we’d love to hear from you. If you want to be more involved, you can be.

What are the benefits of volunteering for the Friends of Bournville Park?
The main benefit we get from volunteering is knowing that we’re helping the community. It’s great knowing that you’ve contributed to people having a good time, or that you’ve helped keep the park tidy. Bournville is a special place, and we want to keep it that way.

Would you like to give a shout out to your volunteers?
Yes! We’d like to thank every single person who gives up their time to help us.

To find out more about the Friends of Bournville Park, including how you can volunteer, follow the group on Facebook – www.facebook.com/BournvillePark or email bournvilleparkfriends@yahoo.com