Cally Park & Clock Tower

Volunteer Role Profile:

Community Gardener

About the role

Community Gardeners play a vital role in making Caledonian Park a great destination for the local community to enjoy. Community Gardeners assist with basic gardening and maintenance tasks. Together we keep Cally Park looking great and a space for everyone to enjoy.

You will:

• Do basic gardening tasks such as weeding, pruning and planting
• Keep the park tidy and collect litter
• Report any issues you see in the park, such as broken equipment or graffiti

You should:

• Be willing to work in variable weather conditions
• Be willing to work as part of a team
• Have an interest in gardening. No prior experience is required though!
• Happy to work independently.
• Everyone is welcome to volunteer. We do encourage you to share with us whether you have a disability or any health concerns before undertaking any work.

We ask you to:

• Follow our volunteering policies and procedures.
• Arrive punctually
• Give us feedback about your volunteering experience
• Treat all staff and volunteers with respect
• Wear appropriate shoes and clothing

We will:

• Be welcoming and offer an enjoyable volunteering experience
• Train you and support you in your role 
• Give you regular opportunities to provide feedback about your volunteering experience
• Treat you fairly and with respect 
• Recognise your contribution 
• Protect you by having insurance and policies and procedures in place to keep you safe

Time commitment

Our community gardening sessions take place frequently throughout the year. We will circulate details about each session in advance to all volunteers. You may attend as many sessions as you want.

About us

Islington Council manages Caledonian Park, the Clock Tower and Heritage Centre. The parks and heritage teams work in collaboration to deliver a full and varied activity programme. Our vision is of an accessible and inclusive service centred on increasing local cultural participation, exploring and celebrating local heritage and making a valuable contribution to local priorities. 

Caledonian Park is a popular site full of history. The centrepiece is a 155ft (47.5m) high, grade II* listed, Victorian clock tower. The National Lottery Heritage Fund confirmed a grant award of £1,873,300 in December 2016 to revitalise the park, renovate the clock tower and enable the public to climb it safely. The renovation includes work to the original bells, balcony and staircase. The Cally Clock Tower Centre is new, offering a programme of community and education activities.

This role is purely voluntary. This arrangement is not a legally binding one or an employment contract.

Contact us at callypark@islington.gov.uk with any questions.

About the role

Litter heroes help keep the park tidy and clean by picking up litter and reporting any issues to park staff.

 What’s involved?

• Picking up litter
• Keeping the park tidy
• Reporting park issues to the Cally Clock Tower team e.g. broken equipment, park security, vandalism or cleaning
• Welcoming and helping people to find and use Caledonian Park services

 What skills and qualities we are looking for?

• Friendly and enthusiastic
• Willing to work in variable weather conditions
• Enjoys working with a range of people from the community
• Interest in nature, the environment and the local community
• Ability to work independently
• All welcome but please inform us of any health concerns as the role may require standing for long periods and requires some physical work

What we would like from you?

• To be guided by the Caledonian Park and Islington Council policies and procedures, including health and safety, confidentiality and equal opportunities
• To arrive for your scheduled time, or let us know in advance if you won’t be able to make it
• To ask if you’d like to do something specific or have a particular interest
• To let us know if there are any problems with your work, or anything you are not happy about
• To behave appropriately to treat us with respect
• Wear practical clothing and shoes for the weather and tasks

What we can offer you?

• A welcoming and enjoyable experience
• Training, information and support to be able to carry out your role
• A chance to have any ideas, suggestions or complaints that you have taken seriously
• To be treated fairly with respect
• Recognition for your contribution
• To be covered by Islington Council’s Insurance and Health and Safety policies

Time commitment

This is not a fixed volunteering post.  It is a one-off volunteering opportunity running on ad hoc days throughout the year (such as part of Great British Spring Clean month).

About us

Caledonian Park is managed by Islington Council and sits within Parks Service who manage the local parks and green areas. Islington Heritage Service and Parks Service manage the Clock Tower and Heritage Centre in partnership. Our vision is of an accessible and inclusive Service, centred on increasing local cultural participation, exploring and celebrating local heritage and making valuable contribution to local priorities.

Caledonian Park is a popular site full of history. The centrepiece of the park is a 155ft (47.5m) high grade II* listed Clock Tower built in 1855. The National Lottery Heritage Fund confirmed a grant award of £1,873,300 in December 2016. This funded our vision to revitalise Caledonian Park and secure the future of its clock tower.

Essential repairs have been made to the clock tower to ensure it is preserved for future generations, and also to allow it to be open to the public on a more regular basis. The renovation includes work to the original bells, balcony and staircase. The original market railings on Market Road and Shearling Way have also been repaired and restored, and a small heritage centre built (the ‘Cally Clock Tower Centre’) with space for community and education activities. The café and toilet facilities are also new.

This role is purely voluntary and this arrangement is not a legally binding one or an employment contract.

If you would like to find out more please contact us on callypark@islington.gov.uk

Volunteer Role Profile:

Art Project Assistant

About the role

Islington Council has secured funding from PHE’s Prevention and Promotion Fund for Better Mental Health to run an intergenerational art project at Caledonian Park. This fund is part of the government’s Mental Health Recovery Action Plan 2021/22, which seeks to ensure the mental health impacts of COVID-19 are rapidly addressed, services can respond quickly and pressures on the NHS are reduced. The project has the following aims:

Improve the mental health of local residents, notably older people and BAME communities, following the recent Covid pandemic through stimulating activities

• Work in partnership with key local organisations to deliver each project
• Connect people to their local park and encourage life-long use
• Connect people with nature and the benefits that come from spending time in nature
• Deliver activities within agreed budget

We’ve appointed an arts facilitator to run the project and we are looking for volunteers to assist her in delivering our objectives.

What’s involved?

• Help prepare resources and other materials for activities.
• Assist participants with their project work
• Help set-up and pack away resources for activities.
• Assist the facilitator with running

What skills and qualities we are looking for?

• Friendly and enthusiastic with good communication skills.
• Enjoy working with or have experience of working with children and older people
• An interest in local history, nature, art and/or education.
• Willingness and ability to attend training sessions.
• Keen to learn new skills and gain new knowledge.

What we would like from you?

• To follow our volunteering policies and procedures.
• To arrive punctually for your volunteering session
• To let us know in advance if you won’t be able to attend your session
• To give us regular feedback about your volunteering experience
• To treat all staff and volunteers with respect

What we can offer you?

• A welcoming and enjoyable experience
• Training, information and support to help you carry out your role
• Regular opportunities to provide feedback about your volunteering role en seriously
• To be treated fairly and with respect
• Recognition for your contribution
• To be covered by the Islington Council’s Insurance and Health and Safety policies

Time commitment

The project runs from October 2021 to March 2022 and consists of 10 sessions. Each session will be around 2 hours long. Ideally, volunteers should attend each session if they’re able.

About us

Islington Council manage Caledonian Park and it is looked after by the Parks Service who manage the local parks and green areas. Islington Heritage Service and Parks Service manage the Clock Tower and Heritage Centre in partnership. Our vision is of an accessible and inclusive Service, centred on increasing local cultural participation, exploring and celebrating local heritage and making a valuable contribution to local priorities.

Caledonian Park is a popular site full of history. The centrepiece of the park is a 155ft (47.5m) high grade II* listed Clock Tower built in 1855. The National Lottery Heritage Fund confirmed a grant award of £1,873,300 in December 2016. This funded our vision to revitalise Caledonian Park and secure the future of its clock tower.

Essential repairs have been made to the clock tower to ensure it is preserved for future generations and to allow it to be open to the public on a more regular basis. The renovation includes work to the original bells, balcony and staircase. The original market railings on Market Road and Shearling Way have also been repaired and restored, and a small heritage centre built (the ‘Cally Clock Tower Centre’) with space for community and education activities. The café and toilet facilities are also new.

This role is purely voluntary and this arrangement is not a legally binding one or an employment contract.

If you would like to find out more please contact us on callypark@islington.gov.uk