Home Leisure and culture Parks and open spaces Get involved: Park Friends Groups and Volunteering
Opportunity for catering concessions in parks

Tower Hamlets has many beautiful parks and open spaces used by both residents and visitors to the borough.

We have a great opportunity for local businesses to trade in our parks for the summer season in 2024.

We are seeking to license:

- catering vans
- catering operators at fixed pitches
- healthy street food trucks

We have opportunities in parks across the borough for vendors who have Public Liability Insurance and Food Hygiene Certificate.

If you are interested in applying, please email parks@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

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Get involved: Park Friends Groups and Volunteering

Be a friend to your local park  

Want to get involved in improving your local park?  

Friends groups work with the council to improve our parks and open spaces for our residents and visitors to enjoy. Groups helps care for a specific park or open space managed by Tower Hamlets Council.

Getting involved in a park friends group is a great way to meet new people, improve your wellbeing, gain practical skills and get involved with the local community. 

All residents are welcome to join a friends group - or help to set up one.

What is a park Friends Group? tree planting meath gardens

Friends groups can express park users opinions and suggest ideas for improving their park or open space to the council. 

Friends groups can also organise community events, litter picking days and carry out planting activities. 

Friends groups may also link up with organisations like Go Parks London and London Friends of Green Spaces network who work with park friends groups across the city.

How does the council help Friends groups? 

  • Supply bulbs for autumn planting along with tools and equipment.  
  • Supply tools and materials for litter picks
  • Help to publicise activities on the council website and social media channel

How to set up a Friends Group

  • Find people who would like to join the group. 
  • Hold an inaugural meeting
  • Write a constitution
  • Elect a committee

It is important to complete these steps to become a registered friends group. If you apply for funding for your group, awarding bodies will want to see evidence that your group is democratically elected and has a constitution. They may also want to see accounts. 

If you’d like to join one of the groups listed below, please contact them directly.  If you would llike to know more or set up a local group please contact us at parks@towerhamlets.gov.uk 

Park Friends Groups

Volunteering in our parks

We are keen to hear from individuals, community groups and organisations who would like to volunteer to help us with work and events in our parks. We are looking for volunteers to help with:

  • environmental work
  • assisting at events
  • helping with activities in the park
  • helping park rangers with projects.

To express your interest in volunteering in our parks please complete the volunteer contact and skills form.

To express your interest in volunteering in Mile End Park please complete the volunteer contact and skills form.

  • Volunteer contact and skills sheet
  • Name
  • Address
  • Emergency contact
  • Name