Key Points
- Leeds City Council has launched “Green Team Away Days,” allowing corporate teams, businesses, charities, and public sector organisations to participate in team-building activities through volunteering in the city’s parks and green spaces.
- These sessions involve practical work such as gardening, nature conservation, path maintenance, litter picking, and planting, fostering team bonding while benefiting the community.
- The programme builds on existing volunteering opportunities, including corporate group sessions for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies and corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals.
- It aims to create a network of organisations for long-term stewardship of Leeds’ green spaces, with bespoke packages tailored to participants’ needs.
- Past examples include Hentons team restoring flower displays and improving footpaths in a Leeds park, organised by Leeds City Council Parks.
- Related initiatives feature groups like Conversation Club volunteers aiding with dead-hedging, woodland maintenance, and tree-planting at sites including Breary Marsh and Meanwood Park.
- Volunteering equates to significant support, with volunteer time across Leeds parks valued at the equivalent of 109 full-time staff.
- Opportunities extend to ‘Friends of’ groups, In Bloom groups, Leeds Parks and Green Spaces Forum, and Leeds Voluntary Footpath Rangers for path maintenance.
- The council promotes health and safety guidelines for practical work and provides resources for recruiting volunteers.
Leeds (The Leeds Times) March 19, 2026 – Leeds City Council has introduced Green Team Away Days, transforming traditional team-building exercises into community-focused volunteering sessions in the city’s parks and green spaces, where colleagues bond while enhancing local environments. This innovative programme, highlighted in council news under the title “Team Spirit Blooms After Helping Out in Leeds Parks,” offers businesses, charities, and public sector groups a unique way to meet ESG and CSR objectives through hands-on conservation work. Participants report strengthened team spirit, with activities like gardening and path maintenance proving effective for both collaboration and public good.
- Key Points
- What Are Green Team Away Days?
- How Do These Events Strengthen Team Spirit?
- What Activities Take Place During Sessions?
- Why Is Leeds City Council Promoting This Now?
- Who Can Get Involved in Leeds Park Volunteering?
- What Is the Impact on Leeds Communities?
- How to Organise a Green Team Away Day?
- What Other Volunteering Groups Support Leeds Parks?
What Are Green Team Away Days?
Green Team Away Days represent Leeds City Council’s structured corporate volunteering initiative, designed specifically for organisations seeking impactful team-building alternatives. As detailed on the council’s parks and countryside volunteering page, these days cater to businesses, charities, and public sector bodies wanting
Teams book sessions to spend full days working in parks, engaging in practical tasks that directly improve green spaces. According to a council resource page,
“Leeds City Council now offers green team away days in the city’s parks and green spaces. Teams that book on will spend the day working…”
in activities aligned with nature conservation.
This builds a
“network of organisations committed to long-term stewardship,”
as stated in a Leeds City Council LinkedIn post.
How Do These Events Strengthen Team Spirit?
The core appeal lies in combining professional development with altruism, where participants forge stronger bonds through shared physical labour outdoors. A unique team-building day, as described in the council’s news snippet,
“became the perfect way for colleagues to bond and give back to the community.”
In one documented case, as reported on Business Up North, the Hentons team participated in a session organised by Leeds City Council Parks, helping “to restore flower displays and improve footpaths in the park.” This not only beautified the area but also boosted morale among colleagues.
Councillor or ranger-led sessions ensure safe, productive experiences, with feedback emphasising improved interpersonal dynamics post-event.
What Activities Take Place During Sessions?
Activities mirror broader volunteering efforts, encompassing gardening, nature conservation, maintaining paths and fences, fundraising, event organisation, wildlife surveying, and litter picking. Practical work dominates, such as planting, pruning, and dead-hedging, supported by council handbooks on health and safety.
Recent examples from ccleeds.com detail Conversation Club members joining LCC Countryside Rangers for half or full-day sessions at Breary Marsh, Tarnfield Park Yeadon, Otley Quarry, Bramley Park, and Meanwood Park, focusing on woodland maintenance and tree-planting; around 30 members participated from October to February.
Leeds Voluntary Footpath Rangers maintain 850km of paths every fortnight, illustrating the scale.
Why Is Leeds City Council Promoting This Now?
With ambitious goals like planting 6 million trees over 25 years and converting 1,260 hectares to woodland, the council leverages volunteers amid challenges like pandemic-related losses. The parks service, serving 45 million visitors annually with 400 staff plus volunteer equivalents of 109 FTE, faced £8.8 million income shortfalls and redeployments during COVID-19, yet maintained volunteer networks via social media and Teams.
The Green Team Away Days, dated around 2024-2026 launches, respond to demand for ESG-aligned activities, as per the LinkedIn update:
“We offer bespoke packages tailored to your Environmental, Social and Governance strategy, and your Corporate Social Responsibility goals.”
Who Can Get Involved in Leeds Park Volunteering?
Opportunities span individuals, groups, and corporates via Volunteer Team Leeds, woodland schemes, ‘Friends of’ groups, and In Bloom collectives—over 50 across Leeds. The Leeds Parks and Green Spaces Forum, meeting quarterly for walks and networking, welcomes new members via lpgsf@leeds.gov.uk or 0113 378 6002.
Corporate groups contact countryside rangers at countrysiderangers@leeds.gov.uk for In Bloom involvement. Guides like leeds-junk.co.uk outline community cleanups, advising early setup, task assignment, and council coordination for waste.
What Is the Impact on Leeds Communities?
These efforts enhance green spaces, vital for 45 million annual visitors, while volunteers act as “eyes and ears” for sites through promotion and surveying. Corporate participation, like Hentons’, directly improves aesthetics and accessibility.
Long-term, the programme fosters sustained partnerships with local government, per the council’s LinkedIn post. During COVID, despite pauses, groups like 55 In Bloom and 50 Friends managed sites, underscoring resilience.
How to Organise a Green Team Away Day?
Interested organisations visit leeds.gov.uk pages for bookings, selecting from bespoke options. Preparation includes downloading recruitment leaflets and adhering to H&S for practical tasks.
For cleanups, leeds-junk.co.uk recommends positive atmospheres, task division, and designated bag collection. Council sites like Breary Marsh host sessions, led by rangers.
What Other Volunteering Groups Support Leeds Parks?
The Leeds Parks and Green Spaces Forum aids ‘Friends of’ groups with advice. LVFR handles footpaths; In Bloom groups enhance locales. Community groups can form via forum resources.
Pandemic adaptations kept engagement alive, preserving volunteer value equivalent to 109 staff.
As of March 2026, the programme expands networks for ongoing stewardship, with bookings ongoing. Amid tree-planting drives, corporate input remains crucial, potentially offsetting fiscal pressures.
