There is a fabulous community spirit in Wickersley and lots of people share our ambition for Wickersley to be a village of which we can all be proud! So I'm appealing to anyone who has a spare hour or two to join our growing army of volunteers and help us realise this ambition – I'd like to think there's an opportunity for everyone!.

Activities like regular volunteering at Winthrop – in the Café or gardens; joining our Newsletter Delivery Team to get the Parish Newsletter to every household three or four times a year; or maybe you can wield a snow shovel and become one of our Snow Wardens, helping to keep our main pedestrian routes free of snow?

We're also looking to identify people who will become regular Litter Pickers. We know many people already do a great job here but if more people took to their regular village walk with gloves and a carrier bag, those many hands would make for a much cleaner village!

Occasional volunteers also join us on our annual Bracken Walks and help us with Himalayan Balsam pulling!

And – we're all working hard to prepare for our Wickersley Gala – our Lunch in the Park to celebrate the Coronation – can you help us on this one-off project??

Any of this sound interesting? Please let us know via the sign-up form on our website, or by completing the form on this page and popping it in our letterbox outside the Community Centre.

Activities like:-

• Regular volunteering at Winthrop – in the Cafe or Gardens;
• Joining our Newsletter Delivery Team to get the Parish Newsletter to every household three or four times a year;
• We're also looking to recruit people who walk regularly in our woodlands to become a Wood Watcher - essentially telling us if they spot a problem like a fallen branch, blocked path etc.
• And when the snow comes - could you be a Snow Warden? If you can wield a snow shovel, take delivery of some grit and have the time to help us make a speedy to response to help keep our main pedestrian routes free of snow - then you are someone we are seeking out!
• Alongside our 'Annual Spring Clean' campaign we are also looking to identify people who will become regular Litter Pickers! Many people already do a great job here but if more people were involved we'd have a better 'coverage' and it would make for a much cleaner village!
• When we have events like the Lights Switch On or the Bi-Annual Gala we always need extra help - so if you could be an Event Helper - please let us know!
• The Parish is often invited to respond to consultations and it would be good to have people in our community to whom we could go to quickly for their thoughts and views - could you help us on Parish Consultations?
• And lastly, we've been developing the Local History section of this website and want to continue this work. So if this is something you might be interested in or have local historical knowledge to share then please tick the 'Help with Local History' box!

Any of this sound interesting? Please let us know via the sign-up form below (click on the green banner).

The biggest team of Parish Volunteers is down at Winthrop - the community Gardens and Cafe on Second Lane - owned by the Parish.

There are around 60 volunteers in the Winthrop Team and volunteers look after the Gardens, work in the very busy Cafe, support the regular Winthrop Memory Cafe, help organise the 'Curiosity Corner', lead the weekly Winthrop Craft class and look after the newly acquired Winthrop Allotment! Some volunteers are involved in just one activity, others in more!

Volunteering in the Cafe does involve joining a rota and coming regulary on a weekly or fortnightly basis whereas in the gardens and on the allotment there is more flexibility.

There are a wide range of tasks and activities - we'd like to think pretty much something for everyone!!

Many people already play their part in helping to keep the village clean and tidy. Marie Woodhead and Deborah Thackeray are two amazing examples of Wickersley 'Litter Pickers'! They got involved in Autumn 2020 and have signed up with Rotherham Borough Council who provide the litter grabbers, refuse sacks, hoops and high viz vest. They regularly fill 5 or 6 sacks, ring the Borough Council who then arrange to collect the sacks. Great work by these two ladies!

We also know many other people are out there, just getting on with it and doing their own litter picking which is really appreciated. If you'd like to join 'Team Parish' we'd love to hear from you so that when we organise a 'Community Litter Pick' we can let you know so that you can join in if you wish!

Phil Bates leads the Woodland Volunteer Force, a small but growing team who meet, usually on a monthly basis, to do small maintenance jobs in the Parish woods and woodlands. Fence repairs, clearing and making footpaths safe are just a few examples.

This is a great way to get some fresh air, meet new people and look after the woodlands, footpaths and by ways that everyone enjoys so much. A true force for good!