Leaving a gift to TCV in your will this Remember A Charity Week helps us to continue our important work of connecting people and green spaces for generations to come.
Having safe and accessible green spaces are part of what makes thriving communities. Our volunteers work tirelessly to provide such spaces for their local communities.
Situated in one of the most deprived areas of York, Hull Park Road has been part of the Tang Hall community since 1927.
Due to council cutbacks the park has became plain and unloved, with only essential maintenance taking place, but this did not go unnoticed. A group of local ward councillors approached TCV York with a small pot of funding, but high hopes to regenerate the park to its former glory to be enjoyed by the residents of Tang Hall.
However, it quickly became clear that the aims far outweighed the money available. With TCV’s help, an opportunity for a project and a locally available grant were identified to help make this vision a reality.
The Project
With a group of six regular volunteers, as well as a group of eight young people from Choose2Youth, the group have planted around 1,000 native and ornamental blubs, transformed a very tired rose bed into a colourful central display, re-wood-chipped paths and removed brambles on the woodland walks, and started reinstating the original rockery in the park.
Using some of TCV York’s recruitment budget to support the work of the park volunteers and to carry out some of the bigger and more complicated aspects of the work enabled the group to work at a quick pace so people did not lose interest and heart.
Corporate volunteer groups run by City of York Council and other organisations such as Good Gym have worked with the Hull Road Park project to help out and to maximise their impact.
The project has contributed to and led events in the park including Tang Hall Family Festival and Party in the Park to launch the new community café. The group have also worked with TCV York’s Local People Project, funded by People’s Health Trust, to run smaller events for families.
TCV’s Impact
The volunteers have not only positively impacted the park, they are benefiting from social activity as well. The project has taken the lead in creating a development plan for the park working with York City council and other interested parties in the park.
Without the support from our donors and fundraisers, TCV York would not have been able to lend a helping hand to the group of local councillors who needed someone to lead the way in creating their vision of the unloved and uncared for park.
Green spaces are a vital part of any happy and healthy community but continued time and dedication is needed to ensure that they continue to thrive, and in turn help the people of their communities thrive also.
To find out more about the work of TCV York, make sure to follow their Twitter account for the latest news. For more information on other volunteering opportunities with TCV across the UK, click here.
