As we all recover from what has felt like a very warm summer, I thought I’d share with you some of the ways that you can get involved and give back to the community. However you are able to help, there are lots of different ways to support local causes. Maybe you might like to be like me and volunteer to write articles for an award winning local magazine…. I know so many people who do lots for our town, but if you’re thinking of contributing for the first time, or taking on yet another responsibility, I’ve collected some of my favourite ways you can give back to the community.
If you’re green-fingered, Wymondham is heaving with voluntary gardening opportunities. We have a few community gardening groups such as Greening Wymondham and Wymondham in Bloom who are responsible for the bulk of the lovely pockets of nature that we are privileged to have in our town. Greening Wymondham have done lots of great things from tree planting to raising money for new footpaths; I especially enjoy their community orchard in Browick Road park. Wymondham in Bloom seeks to brighten up spaces across town with flowers, and I’m sure you've seen some of their beds when in the town centre. Not only would you be getting outside in the fresh air but you would also be helping to encourage our native wildlife. If you’ve not got the time for this commitment, picking up litter as and when you see it is also a great way to contribute just a few seconds to helping the environment and our tiny resident creatures.
Wymondham’s got a lot of charity shops, and they are great places to give back to the community. By donating clothes you're not only helping them to raise money, but you're also able to give your clothes a new life, rather than throwing them away. Even just purchasing something here and there from a charity shop instead of buying new can make a difference. Volunteering your time at a charity shop is a great way to meet new people and try something new. Alongside charity shops, we have a great social enterprise - Poppy’s Pantry; by shopping here you support their work, and they have some great eco products on sale that aren’t available elsewhere in town.
If you’d prefer to donate food rather than clothes, Wymondham Community Outreach Project and Hub Community Project are places you can help. The non-perishable classics like tinned goods are great, but often food banks could do with things like toiletries, cleaning supplies, and pet food. It’s worth checking with your local foodbank to see what they are running low on.
The most obvious way you can support our community is to shop local, not just at local shops on the highstreet, but also at the weekly market and farmer’s markets. By shopping locally, you're not only saving on travel costs, but you're helping the environment by making a shorter journey and directly helping our local economy. We all benefit when we shop local.
Libraries are not all books. Lots of libraries are looking for people to help out in a variety of ways, whether that’s running various clubs, hosting support groups, leading coffee mornings, or even giving tech support. But even just actively using the library helps: getting a library card, donating books, or just using their computers and free WiFi. It helps demonstrate how important that space is for our community.
Well, there are my top picks for giving back to the community. I know lots of us are short on time but when we give back, not only do we help others, but we also help ourselves in a myriad of ways.
