Growing Stronger Together: Volunteer Leadership Training Boosts Community Growing Spaces Across Forth Valley
On Wednesday 11th March, the FEL Scotland Food & Growing team were thrilled to welcome Amber Aleroff, the London Learning and Development Manager for Social Farms and Gardens, to Falkirk to run a one‑day leadership course focused on managing volunteers and creating exceptional volunteer experiences. Amber brought a wealth of knowledge from community growing projects and offered practical tools and inspiring examples throughout the training.
We organised this training to help organisations working in sustainable food and climate action to build community resilience, develop leadership skills, and be best prepared to support their volunteers within their Forth Valley based projects. The training from Amber delivered exactly what had been promised: a comprehensive overview of best‑practice approaches to volunteering, with a clear focus on sustaining safe, welcoming and well‑organised community growing spaces.
Participants explored how to attract new volunteers, help people feel at home in the garden, and design activities that are meaningful and enjoyable. Amber also guided the group through methods for developing volunteers’ skills and confidence, improving garden design, and strengthening organisational structures.
A key part of the day focused on the policies and procedures that protect both volunteers and staff. Discussions around volunteering agreements, boundaries, and the responsibilities of community garden leaders helped attendees feel more prepared for the realities of managing diverse groups. Real‑life scenarios encouraged leaders to think about how to handle challenging or tense situations calmly and constructively.
Importantly, the training highlighted how community gardens can support a wide range of people, including those experiencing anxiety or depression, older and younger residents, newcomers to the area, and individuals from varied financial backgrounds. This inclusive approach is central to building resilient, connected communities.
The event was a sell‑out success, bringing together over 20 leaders from across Falkirk and the wider Forth Valley, and feedback from the day showed that the knowledge, skills and confidence gained will hopefully go on to benefit an estimated 175 volunteers! A big thank you to Amber for delivering this training, which we organised in partnership with Falkirk Council with funding through the Shared Prosperity Fund. We’re looking forward to seeing the future of community growing and volunteering across the Forth Valley!
