The green volunteer
Most residents of Woerden are familiar with the Bredius Park. How many, however, know which initiatives have been set up to continuously maintain or further develop the park and its social functions (rest, education and recreation)? And behind most initiatives is the Landgoed Bredius Foundation: a foundation, managed by volunteers, that continuously strives to make and keep the park as pleasant as possible. One of the initiatives of the Landgoed Bredius Foundation is the Nature Play Field: a nature playground that was officially opened last year and has become extremely popular among young and old in just one year! In this playground, children can play with water, branches and everything nature has to offer.
Seeing how much she enjoys this is surely the greatest reward!
Volunteer Wendy has been involved in the project since the start of the development of the Nature Play Meadow. Since the opening last year, she has been working as a volunteer in the playground itself. “The main thing we, the volunteers do, is to keep the playing field tidy and safe. Children should be able to play and romp here without running the risk of tripping over a branch or waste, for example. In the high season, so from about March, a volunteer comes every day to prepare the place for play. We do this with a total of nine volunteers. Wolfram is also one of them. In general, every volunteer has a turn once a week to tidy things up again.”
“I became involved in the project through-via myself when it was still in its infancy. It immediately appealed to me: I have always really liked nature playgrounds. In the end, due to circumstances, I was able to do less in the preparation phase than I would have liked, but when I saw that they were looking for volunteers, I saw my chance! That way I could still contribute! The fact that I am now a volunteer here is not only fun for me. My daughter also enjoys coming with me. And seeing that she enjoys it so much is the greatest reward!”
Have you become curious about the Nature Play Meadow? The playing field is free to visit and you can visit it all year round. Although the volunteers do their utmost to keep the playground as safe as possible, an accident is of course a small corner. As a parent, it is therefore preferable to accompany your child(ren). Have fun in advance!
Nienke's story
Volunteer at heart Nienke has been a very active volunteer for many years for various organizations, such as 't Oude Landt and for the Food Bank. “I have just now stopped much of my volunteer work because I have to take care of my husband. It was very difficult for me to stop volunteering. I thought it was a horror. What I miss the most is the contact. I have always done volunteer work where I came into contact with other people a lot. At the Food Bank, for example, until corona, we were always able to chat with the visitors while loading the bags. That became more difficult when we had to limit contact. Fortunately, I occasionally meet visitors from the Food Bank and then we still have a nice chat. You notice that many people need that. Being able to talk about you for a while is just very important. Especially during this period.” Being able to talk about you for a while is just very important, especially during this period! “Although on paper I am no longer a volunteer, in a way I still am. Helping my husband and others remains very enjoyable and important to me. I have always done it and will always continue to do it!” Share these stories and inspire others to help too! Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Whatsapp Forward
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