Green Academies Project at Morden Hall Park

GAP Urban Rangers clearing weeds

Morden Hall Park is one of six National Trust places in England and Wales chosen to take part in the Green Academies Project (GAP) funded by Our Bright Future. The project offers young people the chance to gain practical conservation skills and experience in habitat conservation, food growing and horticulture in local green spaces alongside experienced rangers.

Urban Rangers

Aged 11-24? Be a vital part of creating a community hub where local people can build a connection with wildlife. Work as a team to carry out conservation projects in the park; making it a place where wildlife thrives and communities can share special moments together.

The Urban Rangers have ownership of projects from start to finish, meaning that you will gain project management skills as well as learning practical conservation techniques. You can choose a role within the project team, for example marketing lead or wildlife expert, and develop your skills in this area. We will provide you with all the support you need, including a small budget to finance the project and training and advice from National Trust staff and our partners.

Morden Urban Rangers

Willow Wood

This winter Morden Urban Rangers will be thinning the shrub layer in Willow Wood at Morden Hall Park and replenishing with native species to increase biodiversity. They'll also be organising a community planting event to encourage others to get out and enjoy their local green space.

News update: Morden Urban Rangers have won a National Trust Healthy, Beautiful Environment LaSEr Award for their work on the Community Wildlife Garden and their very successful Fun Palaces community event. They were shortlisted for the Participation Award at the National Trust's Move, Teach and Inspire conference. They also won bronze in the Young Volunteer Team of the Year category of the Merton Partnership Awards.

A group of smiling community kitchen volunteers standing behind a handmade palette fence

Morden Hall Park Community Kitchen Garden 

GAP Morden Urban Rangers tend the Community Kitchen Garden at Morden Hall Park, producing delicious veg for the menu at the Potting Shed Café.

Pollards Hill Urban Rangers

The Pollards Hill estate is being regenerated. It's the perfect time to start an Urban Ranger team to engage local young people with looking after local green spaces and to build ownership of outdoor spaces on the estate by being actively involved in the regeneration.

If you are local to Pollards Hill and want to take ownership of your local green spaces and gain the skills and confidence to actively look after where you live, get in touch using the contact details at the bottom of the page. The first project we're working on is creating an environmental garden at William Morris School including a pond, bug habitats, planting areas and compost.

Accredited short courses with Green Academies @ TM United – Alternative education for 14-20 year olds

(The Green Academies Project at Morden Hall Park is an approved alternative education provider for Merton)

Enjoy being outdoors? Ever wondered how your sports pitches and parks are maintained? A career as a Groundsman or Park Ranger could be for you.

If you prefer to be outdoors than stuck in the classroom then this course could be the first step in starting a career you will enjoy. Get high quality practical skills working outdoors with experienced National Trust rangers and the Tooting and Mitcham United groundsman. You will gain accredited certificates through the AQA Unit Award Scheme and an accredited functional skills qualification.

Where: Morden Hall Park is working in partnership with Tooting and Mitcham Community Sports Club to deliver this introductory course at Imperial Fields, Bishopsford Rd, Morden SM4 6BF.

When: Sessions run in term time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 10am-1pm.

We can be flexible with days and times so please get in touch.

Green Academies Project trainees fence building
Green Academies Project trainees fence building at Morden Hall Park
Green Academies Project trainees fence building

We are an approved provider of alternative education and can accept pre-16 learners onto our course. The course runs during school term times and progresses through a range of AQA units meaning that learners can stay with us for 1, 2 or 3 terms. We can usually accept applicants at any time of year and are happy to set up a trial on request.

What we cover (among other topics):

  • Woodland management
  • Hedgerow maintenance
  • Measuring out a pitch
  • Site inspections
  • Preparing the pitch for a football game
  • Bushcraft
  • Interacting with the public

Interested? Follow this link to apply online today.

Get a taste for the outdoors with a GAP taster session

Does your youth group or college want to improve local green spaces, learn new skills and get advice on how to use these skills to get further training, education and employment? We offer taster sessions for groups to book and can tailor them to suit your needs. Past groups include Orchard Hill College, The Princes Trust and Cricket Green School.

We suggest a donation of £10 per participant, which goes back to the project enabling us to provide more opportunities for young people.

Green Academies Project Taster Day volunteers clearing ivy
Green Academies Project Taster Day volunteers clearing ivy from a tree
Green Academies Project Taster Day volunteers clearing ivy


Morden Hall Park has a variety of habitats that are managed according to a long-term plan for their conservation. You will help with conservation tasks in all of our habitats including removal of invasive species, vegetation cutting and clearing, creating wildlife habitats, gardening, weeding and hedge-cutting. There will also be opportunities to try something a bit different on taster sessions offered by our partners.

Apply now

Book a taster session or apply for Morden Urban Rangers by contacting Hattie on 020 8545 6850 or at mordenhallpark@nationaltrust.org.uk.