Landcare lives on with Landcare Alive!
Hay Plains Landcare has growing community volunteer participation at the Hay Landcare Nursery with weekly Landcare Alive, incorporating Special Monthly Activities throughout 2025.
Capacity building - LEP23_036_LLC6_8
The issue
Volunteers are the backbone of Landcare, yet many groups are experiencing a steady decline in volunteer participation. Regular volunteer participation is essential in a nursery setting, where consistent, hands-on tasks must occur week-to-week to ensure healthy plant growth and the reliable production of seedlings for future environmental projects. Hay Plains Landcare set to reverse this trend by initiating their Landcare Alive weekly nursery sessions, creating a welcoming, purposeful space through regular nursery activities to attract consistent weekly volunteers. In addition, Special Monthly Activities were introduced as wellbeing events to entice new participants to the nursery environment.
The solution
Landcare Alive sessions make volunteering enjoyable, social, and rewarding. Each session combines practical nursery activities with a welcoming atmosphere, including a tasty bush tucker morning tea, that encourages participation, conversation and connection, while completing many necessary ongoing nursery tasks. By creating a relaxed and engaging environment, volunteering has become something people look forward to each week. In addition, a calendar of diverse special monthly wellbeing activities both rewarded regular committed volunteers while further drawing members of the community into the nursery by offering new experiences and introducing them to Landcare. Many new participants who attend these Special Monthly Activities later return to volunteer in regular weekly nursery activities, broadening ongoing community involvement.
The impact
Landcare Alive has delivered a strong positive impact, increasing volunteer participation and defying the broader trend of declining volunteer numbers. By creating an inclusive, welcoming environment, the sessions have attracted both new and returning community members to regular nursery activities. Participants have also enjoyed a diverse range of monthly wellbeing activities, including pottery, hydro-dipping & poured paint, bush dyeing, traditional weaving, watercolour painting and bush tucker experiences. Landcare Alive has strengthened social connections, supported volunteer wellbeing, and fostered a deeper connection to local environmental stewardship. As a result, Landcare Alive is building a more engaged, resilient, and active Landcare community.
Key facts
- Participation has ranged from 2 to 20 members each week
- 40 Landcare Alive weekly sessions
- Plus 10 Special Monthly Activities
- Tasty Bush Tucker morning/afternoon tea enjoyed each week
- Regular nursery activity has enabled the production of seedlings for Landcare projects