How to volunteer your services in London

With the New Year being a fresh start and everything, now’s a good time to consider making a few resolutions to make you an altogether saintlier person! 

It’s all-too-easy to complain London is dirtier than you’d like it to be, and that there’s a lack of community spirit. But then recall those heart-warming scenes of residents taking to the streets with brooms following the 2011 riots. 

Whether you’re a cleaning freak or the opposite, we’ve come up with some charitable ways you can get involved in cleaning up the capital, and beyond.

Capital Clean-up

A partnership campaign led by the Mayor of London, Capital Clean-up has coordinated over 1,000 events in London to date, and is always on the look-out for eager volunteers to do litter picking, graffiti removal, canal clear-ups and habitat restoration. January 2013 sees the launch of a brand new grant scheme for Capital Clean-up, in which community groups, registered charities, schools and small businesses can apply for a grant or a clean-up kit.

Thames 21

The Kinks may have called it a ‘dirty old river’ but the Thames is much cleaner than it used to be, and that’s in no small measure down to organisations such as Thames 21, which  relies on the good hearts and keen hands of volunteers to tackle some of the dirtiest patches of the river. Perhaps the organisation’s legacy is best described in its own words: “Wide expanses of sandy beach once carpeted with historic waste are now clear, due to your repeated efforts on the Thames foreshore.” 300 people signed up in 2011: see if you can swell the ranks this year!

CSV

Community service isn’t just for criminals, you know! CSV are great at organising various non-committal tidy-up events around London, and an extra pair of hands is always very much welcomed! Right now, CSV are on the hunt for people to come help paint and tidy Chiswick Community School on Saturday 12 January. Lunch is provided there’ll be a visit to a Fuller’s pub or two afterwards. Who said cleaning was a chore?!

Oil spills

Every now and again, we’re hit with the devastating news of an oil spill. The last big tragedy was of course, the BP accident in the Gulf of Mexico back in 2010. But such things happen in the UK too, and causing widespread devastation to our glorious flora and fauna. Fingers crossed we won’t have another spill for a while yet, but if it does happen, consider heading down to the coast to offer your clean-up services.