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Date updated: 29/01/2025

Epping Forest 50 for 50 volunteering campaign

The City of London Corporation is inviting volunteers to contribute 50 hours of volunteering over six months to help conserve and protect the Forest, in honour of the Duke of Gloucester’s Golden Jubilee as Ranger of Epping Forest.  For more information please visit the Epping Forest 50 for 50 volunteering campaign webpage.

Volunteering in Epping Forest - PDF (2MB)
Date submitted: 3/06/24
volunteer-break-time
The volunteers enjoy a well earned break

Interested in volunteering?

Please find our current volunteering opportunities below. 

What you will be doing:

  • Monitoring birds by walking a set transect, identifying species by song and appearance, recording breeding behaviours and mapping them
  • Orientating using a phone and a map, recoding your data using a paper and submitting the data online from a desktop computer

We are looking for someone who has:

  • Experience with identifying birds: you need to be experienced identifying species by call, song and appearance
  • Reliability and commitment: We’re looking for someone who can commit to one session per month between March and August inclusive, record good quality data and submit it on time
  • Enjoys spending time outdoors!

What you will gain:

  • A chance to deepen your knowledge of birds and build valuable field conservation skills
  • Opportunity to spend time in nature, contributing to conservation efforts

Apply here

What you will be doing:

  • Monitoring butterflies by walking a set transect
  • Orientating using a phone and a map, recoding your data using a paper form and submitting the data online from a desktop computer

We are looking for someone who has:

  • Experience identifying butterflies: You already have experience or are interested in learning to identify butterflies. Until you develop enough experience, you won’t be able to lead surveys independently
  • Reliability and commitment: We’re looking for someone who can commit to a weekly session per month between April and September inclusive
  • Enjoys spending time outdoors!

What you will gain:

  • A chance to deepen your knowledge of butterflies and build valuable field conservation skills
  • Opportunity to spend time in nature, contributing to conservation efforts

Apply here

What you will be doing:

  • Monitoring wildflowers and grasses in grasslands
  • Orientating using a phone and a map, recoding your data using an online form in the phone

We are looking for someone who has:

  • Experience in botanical identification: You already have experience identifying herbs, wildflowers and grasses
  • Reliability and commitment: We’re looking for someone who can commit to three sessions per month between May and August, record good quality data and submit it on time
  • Enjoys spending time outdoors!

What you will gain:

  • A chance to deepen your knowledge of plant identification and build valuable field conservation skills

Apply here

What you will be doing:

  • Monitoring reptiles by walking a set transect
  • Orientating using a phone and a map, recoding your data using a paper and submitting the data online from a desktop computer

We are looking for someone who has:

  • Willing to learn to identify reptiles: you will be interested in learning to identify common reptiles. No previous experience needed.
  • Reliability and commitment: We’re looking for someone who can commit to one session per month between April and September, record good quality data and submit it on time
  • Enjoys spending time outdoors!

What you will gain:

  • A chance to deepen your knowledge of reptiles and build valuable field conservation skills
  • Opportunity to spend time in nature, contributing to conservation efforts

Apply here

What you will be doing:

  • Monitoring small mammals
  • Orientating using a phone and a map, recoding your data using an online form in the phone

We are looking for someone who has:

  • Experience identifying mammals: You will be interested in learning to identify common small mammals
  • Reliability and commitment: We’re looking for someone who can commit to three sessions per month between April and August inclusive, record good quality data and submit it on time
  • Enjoys spending time outdoors!

What you will gain:

  • A chance to deepen your knowledge of small mammals and build valuable field conservation skills
  • Opportunity to spend time in nature, contributing to conservation efforts

Apply here

What you'll be doing

Volunteer litter pickers do the essential work of keeping the Forest clean, beautiful and healthy.

What we'd like from you

We're looking for volunteers who are:

  • enthusiastic about the Forest 
  • confident and happy working outdoors

What we can offer

  • formal recognition of your volunteer hours and, after six months, a reference for employers
  • annual volunteer gatherings and away days at our other green spaces

To apply

Sign up on BetterImpact to be a volunteer litter picker.

What you'll be doing

Volunteer wardens will carry out a host of diverse tasks in the Forest throughout the year, all aimed at supporting our management of the Forest. This could include patrolling the Forest to assist the public, carrying out survey work, leading conservation tasks or helping out with some of our events. 

What we'd like from you

We're looking for volunteers who are:

  • enthusiastic about the Forest and its natural history, management and protection
  • confident and happy working outdoors and with the public
  • able to get to and from duty points throughout the entire Forest (we can help with mileage or public transport fares)
  • happy to commit long term to volunteering two days a month, including some weekends and holidays when needed

What we can offer

  • plenty of opportunities to learn, grow and acquire new skills through a wide range of tasks
  • work experience relevant to conservation, events, forestry and several other sectors
  • formal recognition of your volunteer hours and, after six months, a reference for employers
  • annual volunteer gatherings and away days at our other green spaces

To apply

Sign up on BetterImpact to become a volunteer warden.

What you'll be doing

As part of our communications team, you'll be helping us get our message out there as a charity and as a fixture of London's green belt. You'll be helping us to get our posters and newsletters to stakeholder groups and visitors at hubs all around the Forest.

What we'd like from you

We are looking for volunteers who are:

  • happy to work outdoors in most weather
  • confident finding their way around the Forest and local area on foot and by bike or car
  • able to commit three hours once or twice each season

What we can offer

  • a formal induction and training
  • experience working with a communications team in London's largest green space
  • formal recognition of your volunteer hours and, after six months, a reference for employers
  • annual volunteer gatherings and away days at our other green spaces

What you'll be doing

At our visitor centres you'll be assisting our staff in offering the Forest's visitors all the things they need to have a great day out here - whether that's giving them information on the Forest, walking them through its history, or helping them find a momento in one of our shops.

What we'd like from you

We are looking for volunteers who are:

  • friendly and approachable
  • interested in history and/or conservation
  • enthusiastic about sharing knowledge with visitors
  • flexible and happy to help with different things each day
  • able to commit to three hour shifts

What we can offer

  • a formal induction and on-the-job training
  • plenty of opportunities to learn about the Forest, its history, ecology and how it's managed
  • work experience relevant to retail, visitor attractions and heritage services
  • formal recognition of your volunteer hours and, after six months, a reference for employers
  • annual volunteer gatherings and away days at our other green spaces

​If you are interested in doing conservation work in the Forest, there are three voluntary organisations who work in partnership with us that you could join. You can sign up to volunteer with these groups on their websites:

Apply or enquire

Epping Forest volunteering organisations

Volunteer with us and help care for Epping Forest by doing conservation work, surveys, patrolling with our Keepers, helping at our visitor centres, and lots more.

We are grateful to the many organisations who volunteer throughout Epping Forest, to help us to protect and conserve this unique ancient woodland:

Have a look above and find out about the type of volunteering organisations that are involved in work with us. If you don't see anything above that interests you, get in touch and we'll see if there's anything else you can help us with.