Volunteering

Some of our volunteers work full-time, some part-time and some not at all so don’t worry if you cannot make all of the picks and events that we organise.  We realise people lead busy lives so even a few hours of volunteering over our busy period (from August – October) is great. We also run picking parties when elderflowers and blackberries are in season (May – August)

If you think you can offer up some of your spare time please email Diane at wenabundance@gmail.com. We are particularly interested in hearing from any voluntary youth organisations now that we have taken over an orchard in West Ealing.

In addition, if you have too many fruit trees in your garden and would like us to pick the fruit rather than it go to waste then email me. We will do something useful with it – whether that was giving it to the soup kitchen, leaving in boxes for the general public to take, or making jam/chutney.

27 thoughts on “Volunteering”

  1. Hi,

    I have quite a few frozen bags of blackberries that I’ve previously picked wich you are welcome to use. I’d be happy to get involved and pick more fruit, do some cooking and selling, just let me know.

    Thanks

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  2. Hi,

    This seems a great idea. I can offer some muscle power, if not any fruit or freezer space. I’d also be happy to try my hand at cooking/preserving etc.

    Best,

    Michael.

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    1. Hi Michael thats great! I am meeting with Sarah in a couple of weeks who is the other person interested in helping so will contact you directly on email to let you know a date. We can then have a chat about the project and what help is required.

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    1. Hi Sam thanks for the offer! This time of year is quiet for us, we usually need help starting from fruit harvest season later in the year. On saying that we have put a proposal in for some funding and it is likely we will get a grant from Ealing council to enable us to produce leaflets and conduct leaflet drops in Ealing as we are searching for fruit trees in private gardens. I will contact you again we we have firmed things up.

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  5. hi
    i and my neighbour have spare time and would love to get involved.. with any type of contribution to this project.
    Please contact me to advise best way to get involved.. .there must be a bounty of produce out there at the moment !
    thanks
    a x

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    1. Hi Angela thanks for the offer to volunteer! I will email you anyway with more information but actually the busiest time of year for us will be from September onwards although there will be some fruit to pick beforehand such as plums.

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  6. I’ve just moved back to Ealing after 8 months away and I’m keen to get involved any way I can – feel free to contact me with tasks!

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  7. Hi. Heard about you from a friend at our school, she has also had some of your produce and raved about it. She is currently organising for us to be able to buy some from you soon.

    I would love to come and help pick and so would our children who are 8. I hope you will be doing some Autumn weekend picking so that we can come along and help. i would also love to learn how to make jam and chutneys. We were only just discussing all of this last night with friends at a school fundraiser and then today we get an email from Damaris. Must be meant to be.

    I hear there are great pickings to be had in Elthorne Park……

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    1. Hi Carole yes Damaris is proving to be a wonderful advocate -who needs to advertise when you have Damaris! Jams and chutneys are not an exact science, that is one thing I have learnt in the process of making them for West Ealing Abundance! Elizabeth who is our resident expert of 30 years can sometimes get it wrong. We will be organising picking events in the Autumn, we are just looking at suitable locations to do this so will keep you posted. Although we have a fair number of back gardens we can visit this year so that will be nice and easy for kids to help out. If a group of you want some lessons in jam and chutney making let me know I am sure Elizabeth would love to show you. As far as Elthorne Park goes there seems to be a lot of fruit at the back of the park on the way to the Canal in the nature reserve area, we will plotting onto Google maps very soon.

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  8. Hi. I’ve just come across your website and think it’s a great idea. I would be very interested in a lesson in making jam, in return for some volunteering. Please let me know if you organise the jam making lesson.

    Thanks
    Sue

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    1. Hi Sue

      Thanks for your interest in volunteering. I will let you know if we plan to run any jam/chutney making lessons in the next couple of months!

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  10. Hi there,

    We have a large pear tree in our garden in the flats I have recently moved into. The fruit is just going to waste and not being picked. Let me know if there is any way this would be useful to you, I would be glad to help.

    Thanks!

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  11. Hi, I found this site searching for urban foraging and freegan groups and activities in Ealing. I’m interested in volunteering, please get in touch 🙂

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  13. We have a large volume of cooking apples and some pears. Would you be interested in picking and having these.

    Could you let me know asap as they are starting to drop and may otherwise go to waste.

    Thanks

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  14. Hi. I’ve just come across your website and think it’s a great idea. I would be very interested in a lesson in making jam, in return for some volunteering. Please let me know if you organise the jam making lesson.

    Thanks

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  15. Certitude are hosting an Eco Street Festival in Perivale on Saturday 29th August between 12 and 4. The aim is to bring the community together through a fun and engaging event to raise awareness of local ecology and begin crowdfunding for a new community garden. There will be a market place, music stage, ecology workshops and much more. Would West Ealing Abundance like a stall to promote the great work you do or maybe to sell some locally sourced. fruit and vegetables or products? If is, then please do get in touch. Thanks 🙂

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  16. Hi, we’d love to help!
    Can we bring the kids? (they’re little but loved “helping” whilst we picked blackberries!)
    Juliet

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    1. Hi Juliet we are coming up to our busy period picking apples and pears which is quite hard work to be honest and not suitable for young children. We do usually have a blackberry pick each year but a combination of late blackberries, rain and me being on holiday meant that we missed it this time round. If you wish to be added to our volunteer list please email wenabundance@gmail.com then I can ask you for further information. There may be other opportunities to volunteer for different events which could include the kids. Many thanks for your interest!

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