Could Your Team’s Next Volunteering Day Help Save a Riverbank?
This summer, we’re inviting local businesses and community groups to join us for a series of hands-on conservation sessions at Stanwick Lakes – and help us take on Himalayan Balsam, one of the most persistent invasive species in the UK.
Whether you’re a local business looking to fulfil a CSR commitment, or a community group wanting to give something back – we’d love to have you with us.
These sessions will run from mid-May through July.
Bringing a group of 10 or more? We can arrange a dedicated session just for your team – on a day that works for you. Get in touch with Carol Nunn directly to find out more.
The BIG BALSAM BASH
Every year we try to tackle an invasive species on our site called Himalayan Balsam.
Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is an attractive looking flower that grows in dense stands and can be up to 2m tall. It is most commonly found on riverbanks and damp areas but can thrive in many other habitats. It has an explosive seed capsule, which scatters seeds over a distance of up to 7m. It out-competes all of the other vegetation on our riverbank and makes the bank sides weak and prone to erosion.
We work as a team to pull it out and seek to eliminate it before it has chance to flower. The challenge is that it germinates and grows across a long seasonal window – you can’t tackle it in a single weekend push. That’s why this year we’re launching our [BIG BALSAM BATTLE / BIG BALSAM BASH]: a dedicated nine-week programme of volunteering sessions, running every Wednesday from 13th May to 8th July.
And that’s where you come in. The more hands we have on the ground, the more ground we can cover – and the greater the impact. We’re calling on local businesses and community groups to join our regular volunteers this summer and help us make this our most successful season yet.
Here’s why your help matters:
- Balsam grows across a long seasonal window – it can’t be tackled in a single push
- The more of the site we can cover, the better the outcome for wildlife and the riverbank
- Every session counts – and every pair of hands makes a real difference
Why your company should get involved
This is a great opportunity to offer your team something genuinely meaningful – a morning outdoors, doing hands-on conservation work that has a visible, lasting impact on a nature reserve your local community loves and relies on.
- Authentic CSR: real conservation outcomes you can measure and talk about – not just a tick-box exercise.
- Environmental impact: help protect native species and restore a healthy, erosion-resistant riverbank for years to come.
- Team building: shared outdoor work builds camaraderie in ways that meeting rooms simply can’t replicate.
- Great for storytelling: beautiful setting, visible before-and-after results, and a story worth sharing with your professional peers or community circle.
Whether you’re looking to fulfil a community commitment, energise your people, or simply do something good – a morning on the riverbank at Stanwick Lakes ticks all those boxes.
What to expect on the day
We make it easy from the moment you arrive. Our experienced ranger team will lead a short briefing on plant identification, safe working practices, and what you’ll be doing before you set off together to the river meander.
- 10am meet at the Ranger Cabin
- Short briefing on Himalayan Balsam identification and safe pulling technique
- Walk together to the work area by the river meander
- Pull, stack and clear balsam as a group – guided throughout
- Tea and biscuits at 11am – a proper outdoor break
- Finish up around lunchtime (approx. 1pm)
We’ll make sure there’s plenty of tea, coffee, biscuits and water throughout the morning. Volunteers can take breaks whenever they wish – this is meant to be enjoyable, not exhausting.
What to wear
No specialist kit required – just comfortable outdoor clothing. Walking boots, long trousers, a long-sleeved top, a hat, and eye protection or sunglasses. Gardening gloves will be needed too – we can provide those to anyone without.
Ready to join the BIG BALSAM BATTLE?
If you have a group of more than 10, please contact Carol Nunn directly – we can arrange a dedicated session just for your team, including options beyond our regular Wednesday schedule.
Smaller groups and individuals are warmly welcome to turn up on any Wednesday mornings and join the session as it runs. Just arrive at the Ranger Cabin at 10am – we’d love to have you with us.
