Latest posts: Hawkyard Copse site reopens New Saturday sessions scheduled
Hello and welcome to the website of Chipping Norton Green Gym.
We are an independent community group that works on environmental conservation projects in Chipping Norton and the surrounding area. The town lies on the edge of the Cotswolds National Landscape area, the largest of the designated National Landscapes in the UK. National Landscapes were previously called Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. We are privileged to work in such a beautiful natural environment; the photograph above pictures rolling fields near the town.
We generally meet on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. It costs nothing to join and no booking is necessary, although we do ask prospective new members to contact the membership secretary in advance if you plan to attend a session.
We are a friendly easy-going team who welcome new volunteers, whether as individuals or who come from a company which operates a community volunteering scheme. The aim is to have fun, and get some exercise and fresh air while helping to care for the environment. No prior skills or experience are necessary, and lifts may be available for those who cannot easily get to the worksites.
A range of different jobs is available.
Everyone is welcome. We have jobs suitable for all levels of ability, with training given where necessary. We remove brambles and scrub, keep paths and waterways clear, manage woodland and plant trees (over a thousand put in since the group was formed in 2012). We also plant flowers, fruit and vegetables for all in the community to enjoy, as well as tending gardens, laying hedges, and much more.
We work on a variety of community sites. In Chipping Norton these include Pool Meadow, the Common and William Fowler Memorial Wood. Other local sites include the gardens of the town’s Health Centre, together with Chippy Community Orchard and Fitzalan Wood, all of which our Green Gym created or helped to create. To these we have added a relatively new project, Hawkyard Copse, where tree planting is in progress. We also support school gardening projects, while helping to maintain Kingham Millennium Wood and the Glyme Valley nature reserve, among other sites.
We sometimes work in mud or the snow but often in beautiful surroundings.
We always get plenty of exercise but find time to relax among friends!
If you are interested in joining us, please contact Rachel, our Membership Secretary, and to learn a little more about “Green Gyms”, you may like to read here.
New sites and CSR volunteers
If you manage a community site which could do with our help, do get in touch with our Programme Manager, Tony Shaw-Williams. It’s surprising what a gang of volunteers can achieve in a morning – and much more cheaply than contractors!
On the other hand, if your firm has a Corporate Social Responsibility or community service scheme and you think you could assist us in some way, please contact the Membership Secretary. Companies that have contributed volunteers include The Nationwide Building Society, Milestone Infrastructure, Midcounties Cooperative, Sainsbury’s and Premier Inn.
We are supported by national charity TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) and also by
