The Wellingborough Eco Group is restarting its regular outdoor gardening sessions in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, beginning Monday, February 2, 2026. These fortnightly Monday sessions — part of Wellingborough Eco Group’s Nature Rangers / Free Range programme — invite local people to help maintain and enhance the plants and wildlife habitats at Swanspool Gardens.
Volunteers meet at Swanspool Pavilion at 10:00 AM for tea or coffee and to collect tools before practical work begins; sessions typically run until around 2:30 PM. Activities include pruning and trimming, clearing and tidying nature paths, tending greenhouse areas and other hands-on tasks designed to improve habitat for birds, insects and other wildlife.
This year marks a new chapter for the park after Wellingborough Town Council took over management of the site in May 2025. The council was awarded Community Ownership Fund support in December 2024 of about £786,697 (capital) plus £50,000 (revenue) toward refurbishing Swanspool Pavilion and the gardens; parts of the site were closed for refurbishment in mid–late 2025 and work has continued into 2026. The Eco Group has worked alongside the council on planting, composting and other conservation work as the site is brought back into regular community use.
No previous experience is required to take part. The Eco Group provides some tools and materials on the day, though volunteers are encouraged to bring their own where possible. Organisers hope the sessions will encourage more people to spend time outdoors while helping to restore the historic gardens for the whole community to enjoy.
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