We can’t wait to welcome you to our team of excellent volunteers.
The garden is what sets the Castle apart as a climbing centre. And we can always use more help, so come and volunteer with us and join our team!
Victoria (our garden manager)
Herbs (April - October) All about growing, harvesting, drying, making herb tea blends and products.
Fruit and Veg (Year Round) Managing our kitchen garden, growing food for our café and composting.
As
well as mucking in and getting your hands dirty at our regular work
days, volunteers are invited also to play an active role in any new
ideas for the garden. This garden is for all of us to enjoy and we value
your opinions.
Volunteer hours are typically 11am until 4pm. We will give you an induction and show you where we keep our tools.
SNACK ALLOWANCE
Volunteers participating in a full day will be entitled to a snack & drink from our café. You will also receive our staff discount of 25% on anything you buy. Please note you can only claim these on the day you are volunteering
CLIMBING CREDIT
One full days volunteering = 1 Credit. After your third full volunteer session, you can start to claim your climbing credits. Each credit is for one off-peak entry to The Castle.
Volunteer intake is on the first Monday and Thursday of the month.
To apply, simply download the five documents below and read through them to decide if volunteering is for you. If you'd like to join us, just complete the Volunteer induction form with your details and email it to garden@castle-climbing.co.uk
Please note: Due to the nature of our work, this email address is only monitored on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so your patience is appreciated.
Built raised beds, growing vegetables and herbs for the Castle café
Created a forest garden - based on edible and useful trees, shrubs, and perennial herbs and vegetables. These are mixed in such a way as to mimic the structure of a natural forest - the most stable and sustainable type of ecosystem in our climate. This continues to be a work in progress!
Make products for the café and shop, with herbs and fruits from the garden such as dried herb tea blends, climbers hand and lip balms, chutneys, jams, cordials and ferments
Use the vast amount of wall and fence space we have to grow climbing (espaliered) fruit trees and fruit bushes
Planted a hedge at the front near the road with native English shrubs
Using the roof space to harvest 10,000 litres of rain water used to irrigate the garden
Dug swales on the hill planted with shrubs and diverted waste shower water to irrigate it
Compost all the centre’s food waste and garden waste which is then used in the garden
Created mini-plots for people wishing to grow their own vegetables
Create wildlife areas, such as a pond, bird houses, bug hotels
Built a roundwood timber shelter with a green roof to demonstrate low impact building
Built a cob oven for wood fired bread and pizzas for events
Our apiary bee hives are managed using natural sustainable beekeeping methods
Created the garden as a relaxation and exercise areas for climbers and staff
Held regular events for Castle Climbing Members, the local community, and staff, to volunteer, take part in workshops and celebrate the garden
During Covid Pandemic worked with the newly established North London Food Service to donate produce
