Friends’ volunteers do a wide range of routine work activities in the Park. Most of these are carried out on our fortnightly Saturday morning meet-ups.  Some tasks are regularly done throughout the year such as litter picking and Sensory Garden/Lost Fountain tending. Other jobs are done less frequently or are seasonal such as river cleaning and watering the Court Yard planters. ‘Balsam bashing’ – removing Himalayan Balsam, a highly invasive alien species crowding out native plants, is done in mid-summer and for this big task we also try to also involve volunteers from other local organisations.

A list of our usual activities throughout the year is set out below:

These include the following:

TaskFrequencySeason
Litter pickingFortnightlyAll year round
Plant tending/tidying – Sensory GardenFrequentlyAll year round
Plant tending/tidying – Lost FountainOccasionallyAll year round
Plant tending/tidying – Coach House PlantersOccasionallyAll year round
River clearingOccasionallyWhen appropriate
Minor path improvementsOccasionallyAll year round
Bridge balustrade and fence painting/stainingOccasionallyAll year round
Dry hedge buildingOccasionallyAll year round
River sampling for invertebratesFrequentlyAll year round
Snowdrop transplantingOccasionallySpring
Plant watering – Coach House PlantersWeekly rotaSummer
Balsam bashingWeeklyHigh Summer
Snowdrop Trail clearingFortnightlyAutumn
Leaf clearingOccasionallyAutumn
Bulb plantingOccasionallyAutumn
Tree plantingOccasionallyWinter

Note: Where relevant we curtail/alter our activities to respect the bird nesting season (from late March to the end of June).

Reproduced below is a copy of our detailed work programme for 2026:

In addition to our regular activities we also pursue specific, more major one-off projects to tackle particular problems/opportunities. Most of these projects entail commissioning specialist contractors paid for by grants that we have applied for from funding bodies. In these circumstances we scope out and design the works required as well as oversee their implementation. In all instances the projects are pursued in close liaison with Chorley Council and in several cases the local authority has paid for and implemented the works based on our proposals. Over the years a wide range of projects have been successfully completed – for details click on the links below. 

As a group, we are always looking for the next project to help improve Astley Park. As a member you can be directly involved in helping to deliver such schemes.

Some schemes we devise and pursue do not involve much, if anything, in the way of physical works but relate to our aim to help visitors discover more of Astley Park. These include the following: