Big Help Outs: Give It A Go!

Big Help Outs are one-off events where you can volunteer your time during an activity designed to make a real impact in our local communities. Whether it's environmental clean-ups, crafting, cooking, or helping at community festivals, these events are a great way to give back, make friends, and be part of something bigger!

Why Get Involved?

**Meet like-minded UCL students and have fun!**

**Volunteer your time without a long-term commitment**

**Have your volunteering recognised on their Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR), if you complete 20 hours or more**

**Start to gain valuable experience for your CV**

**Enjoy the mental health benefits of taking part in group activities, especially outdoors, and feel the wellbeing boost that comes from doing something with a social purpose.**

**Make a positive impact in local communities**

**Receive a certificate and a badge for taking part**

**No previous experience is needed – just bring your enthusiasm and willingness to help out.**

Support Available

We want to make it easy for you to take part in Big Help Outs. Here’s how we support you:

Travel expenses within London reimbursed – so cost is never a barrier. (For zones 1-6 in London).
Meet the team – you'll have the chance to meet fellow volunteers and a UCL staff member before the event
Travel together – a staff member will accompany the group to the Big Help Out location, so you won’t be going alone

Whether it’s your first time volunteering or you're just looking for something new, we’re here to help you every step of the way.

Join The Community

Want to hear about the latest Big Help Outs and other one-off volunteering opportunities at UCL?
Join our brand-new Volunteering WhatsApp Community to stay up to date, connect with other students, and make sure you never miss out.

✨ Quick updates straight to your phone
✨ Be the first to know about new events
✨ Go along with other students to the same events
✨ Meet like-minded people and make friends while volunteering

Join the WhatsApp Community

Big Help Outs

Volunteering

Big Help Out: Robin Hood Garden Volunteering 🌿

08/11/2026 | 10:00 - 14:00

This is our second volunteer session with Robin Hood Garden this year! Come along to participate in a long-term project and make a difference to a local community! ⭐️Our project this year is about creating irrigation systems, to help the garden become resilient to the dry weather that is becoming more frequent. Things to know:

Volunteering

Big Help Out: Monthly Community Gardening in Hackney Wick

17/11/2026 | 12:45 - 15:00

Join us to help maintain a local community garden just walking distance from UCL East!Gainsborough Bridge Gardens is a simple idea with a slightly radical implication: Green space shouldn’t be something you merely pass through, it should be something you can shape, share, and grow with your own hands. This project is about turning a patch of public land into a living, local commons.

Volunteering

Big Help Out: Gardening and Games with local older people

19/11/2026 | 10:30 - 14:00

Come along and help brighten an older people's residence, whilst making intergenerational connections!Brighten up a local sheltered housing scheme and make a meaningful difference in the community surrounding UCL East. Join fellow students to give a gorgeous shared garden a glow up, helping to create a more vibrant and welcoming space for residents.

Last updated 2 months ago