Horsenden is a popular choice for corporate volunteer and corporate social responsibility (CSR) days, and thousands have enjoyed a day at the farm and the benefits of a day spent at a unique location such as this. Our past clients and partners for these sessions have included: Warner Brothers, Microsoft, Gucci, Sky, Sage, Barclays, Arup, The Jamie Oliver Group, Lattimer, Carbon Footprint, Trees For Cities, The Conservation Volunteers, and many others. We know from feedback that they all have a great experience.
CSR and Corporate Volunteering
There are many benefits to both the companies/organisations and the volunteers in undertaking volunteering and CSR. To name a few:
- Team work: through working together on outdoors conservation tasks, individuals and groups gain a better understanding of how they can communicate and work collaboratively, problem solving, developing their own leadership and teamworking capabilities
- As a reward: spending time in a community farm and nature reserve, with the opportunity to socialise with colleagues while bonding over enjoyable practical tasks, is a pleasurable highlight for many
- Satisfaction: there are great personal benefits in doing something worthwhile for nature and a local community; something tangible that they can be proud of at day’s end, that they know will be enjoyed by many
- Wellbeing: spending a day in a beautiful place with abundant nature combined with the gentle-to-moderate exercise of doing practical outdoors tasks has an uplifting and positive effect on emotional and mental wellbeing
About Horsenden
Horsenden is a nature reserve and working community farm in the borough of Ealing, and the largest green space in the borough, at around 90 hectares. The site spans ancient woodland, meadows, ponds and wetlands, and hedgerows. It’s home to many animal, wild flower, and tree species, some of which are rare for the area (such as dyer’s greenweed), and others which are indicator species for ancient woods (such as bluebells, wood anemones, dog mercury, wild service trees). If Ealing is the “Queen of the suburbs“, Horsenden is undoubtedly the jewel in her crown.
The farm and nature reserve is looked after by Friends of Horsenden CIC, a charity run by and made up of local volunteers. We work with the Ealing Parks Ranger team, delivering the long term and seasonal management for biodiversity and public use.
What to expect?
The sessions we offer are focused on nature conservation and site management, contributing to the habitat and biodiversity improvement work of the charity, and allowing the public to continue enjoying Ealing’s largest green space.
The tasks are practical and vary seasonally, but typical examples include:
- planting new hedges and young trees
- bramble bashing (ahead of new tree planting, or to preserve the wildflower meadows)
- weeding and woodchipping the veg growing beds
- putting in or repairing fencing (to create a new pasture for the farm animals)
The volunteering tasks are outdoors and require a reasonable level of physical fitness.
We provide experienced and first aid trained leaders to guide the day.
A typical session timetable is:
9:30 Arrival and tea/biscuits
10:00 Introductions: welcome to the farm, safe working briefing, and an overview of the day and task(s)
10:15 AM session
12:30 Lunch
13:30 PM session
15:00 Finishing the day
Booking terms:
– We can accommodate groups of up to 100
– Costs are £50 per head, with a minimum booking of £300
– Bookings include refreshments of tea/coffeee/herbal tea and biscuits
– The session timing is 10am – 3pm (with a lunch break) unless otherwise requested
– Attendee numbers must be finalised a month before the event date
– Payment is due on booking
– Cancellations are without penalty up to 14 days before the event; or for cancellations within 14 days of the event, 50% of the booking amount is due
– Friends of Horsenden have insurance cover for your volunteers
Other info:
– The site address is: Horsenden Farm, Horsenden Lane North, Perivale, UB6 7PQ. Volunteering sessions start and are based at the farm, but may venture into the surrounding meadows and woodlands, up to 15 minutes walk away
– Parking is free and there is space for up to 20 vehicles
– The nearest underground station is Perivale on the Central Line, and the 297 bus (Ealing Broadway to Willesden) stops around the corner
– There are toilets on site
– The Horsenden Loaf may be able to provide lunch for groups of 40+, or the Friends of Horsenden for smaller groups. And Perivale Brewery may be able to open after the session for serving beer. Please ask about catering at time of booking if interested.
If you’d like to make a booking enquiry, please fill out the form below.