Hollybush Sponsored Walk – Thank You!
On Sunday 21st October, The Friends of Hollybush’s sponsored walk took place and so far has raised well over £500 towards enabling a commercial cooker and oven to be installed at Hollybush Conservation Centre. Big thanks to all who took part.
Friends of Hollybush (FoHB)
The Friends of Hollybush exist to help support and compliment the work and activities of the Hollybush Conservation Centre, located in Kirkstall, Leeds.
FoHB is an inclusive volunteer group, organised and attended by a mixture of current and past TCV/Hollybush volunteers, students and staff, their friends and family, and individuals from the local community. The Friends help to provide itʼs members with opportunities for involvement in a wide range of activities and projects, by running or helping to organise events such as:
- The variety of social events and parties held at Hollybush. This includes volunteer, staff and FoHB events such as Bonfire Night, the annual Christmas Fair and the Summer Party.
- The FoHB Study Groups. The study groups are day trips away to different specific locations, designed for the Friends members to gain an opportunity to visit, experience and enjoy a set activity relating to the conservation work of Hollybush. Such trips have so far included birdwatching days at a variety of RSPB sites, tree and wildflower identification days, sand dune ecology studies (traveling over to Formby on the west coast) and some lessons in bushcraft.
- A number of fund raising events and Hollybush ʻopen daysʼ. Recent and upcoming events include a ʻBird and Tree Fun Dayʼ, a ʻFood Growing Dayʼ and a sponsored walk.
Hollybush also stages several open days every year to help promote its green activities within the community and to help gain future contracts from new clients. Events and stalls may also be staged in other locations, such as ʻArmley Fun Dayʼ, or at the Kirkstall Festival.
As Hollybush develops as a Green Hub for Leeds, many of these events will become collaborative affairs with other local conservation and community organisations. This will help to expand upon the location, reach, influence and success of such endeavors.
Friends of Hollybush members often put a variety of skills and experience to good use, by helping to spread a range of environmental information, by producing appealing foods and crafts for resale, and by coming up up with new and exciting ideas for future projects.
This is the concept of FoHB so far. We hope for its expansion by any and many new ideas and members. The Friends of Hollybush is what you all make it!
Becoming a Friend of Hollybush
The Hollybush Conservation Centre has worked with numerous volunteers, many of whom have enjoyed the experience and have gained much from donating their time to the centreʼs causes. As people move on, many join the Friends group to maintain a link with Hollybush, so they can still be involved with the activities and events, perhaps passing on the knowledge they have learnt to new a new generation of Hollybush volunteers.
By joining the Friends of Hollybush you can have an opportunity to become involved in a number of ways, including:
Joining the committee
The committee meets several times a year to discuss an array of FoHB ideas and events. By joining the committee and attending these meetings, members gain the opportunity to influence the direction of FoHB and generate ideas for future activities and events. Committee members may also have opportunities to stand for management roles, such as the Secretary, Chairman or Treasurer.
Joining or forming a FoHB Sub Group
Various Sub Groups for FoHB can be formed to address specific activities and tasks. These groups will often run for several months prior to their specific function or delivery date. Currently, for example, a sub group has formed to organise a sponsored walk fund raising event.
Joining as a general member
By signing up you will receive email notifications of the variety of events and activities coming up on the FoHB calendar. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved and to enjoy some great socials and open events.
Some Friends choose to volunteer with us regularly, some support us by helping with publicity or the running of open events, others help with fundraising, or perhaps by contributing some crafts to a stall. Other Friends support us by helping to make sure our socials go with a swing! Maybe just pop in and do a spot of gardening in the Hollybush grounds. Whatever your level of commitment, there’s a place in Friends of Hollybush for you!
Membership is FREE, but we will ask you once a year to confirm that you still wish to receive information via email.
If you would like to join in any of the above then please send the Friends your e-mail address.
We are setting up lists for each strand of work, and will also send regular updates to everyone about what is going on.
The Friends of Hollybush apply for small scale funding to help support their work.
All money raised at Friends of Hollybush events and socials will go towards supporting Friends of Hollybush or helping the Conservation Volunteers with specific purchases.
