Grounds Maintenance, Landscape Creation, Arboriculture, Sports Surfacing, Parks management, IOS Managing Safely Training, Ecology & Biodiversity, Grass cutting, Horticulture, Street Cleaning, Soft Landscaping, Hard Landscaping
idverde provides a wide range of green services, including grounds maintenance, landscape creation, and advice services, to both private and public sectors across the UK.
On Thursday, 16 October, we gathered for one of the highlights of our year – the Park Champions Annual Celebration. It was a fantastic evening that brought together the people who help keep Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (QEOP) welcoming, green and thriving.
We were joined by 127 other guests, including volunteers, stakeholders and horticulture trainees, alongside Our Parklife.
Our Parklife was established in 2014 to coincide with the reopening of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The organisation aims to help local communities engage with the Park through jobs, training, and volunteering opportunities.
Our Parklife has two founding members, idverde and Groundwork London, who have worked together to develop a variety of programmes enabling local people to get involved in the Park through both employment and volunteering.
The London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) CEO, Shazia Hussain, opened the evening with a sincere thank you to all volunteers for their continued
idverde UK CEO – Aidan Bell, Terry Burns – Operations Director, Richard Burton – Managing Director, and Saul Huxley – Organic Development Director, were all in attendance.
This year, in addition to celebrating our volunteers, we were delighted to welcome graduates from Groundwork London’s Green Skills programme, which is run with the support of idverde and Our Parklife.
Aidan Bell presented certificates to those who completed the summer course, recognising their effort and progress. Eleven trainees achieved a City & Guilds Level 1 Award in Practical Horticulture.
“It was an absolute honour to personally present certificates to such a determined group of trainees, whose achievements through Groundwork’s horticulture programme are truly inspiring. At idverde, we believe that green spaces provide great benefits to the community — and tonight we saw that in action. These individuals have shown real commitment to developing their skills, and we are proud to support pathways that lead to meaningful careers in environmental stewardship. Congratulations to each of you — your success reflects the very best of what Our Park Life stands for, and we look forward to seeing where your journey takes you next.” – Aidan Bell, idverde UK CEO.
Two have already secured employment, several more are due to start soon, and four have continued to further training. These achievements show how hands-on horticultural learning can create genuine opportunities for local people.
Shazia Hussain proudly handed out gold medals to those who had done over 1000 hours of service since they joined, and the trophy for Volunteer of the Year.
Adele from idverde/Our Parklife marked her tenth Park Champions celebration this year. She reflected on how much both the Park and the volunteer programme have grown over the past decade.
Her highlights included gaining the Investing in Volunteers accreditation for the third time with the assessor’s report featuring quotes from volunteers describing their experience as “being part of a family”, “caring for each other”, and “building friendships”. Those words now sit proudly on the team’s office wall as a reminder of what the programme represents.
Adele also thanked the dedicated team members who make the programme work day-to-day, as well as the colleagues behind the scenes who support delivery across Our Parklife projects.
The past year has been another impressive one for the Park Champions. Together, volunteers have achieved:
Since the programme began in 2014, the numbers tell an even greater story: over 124,800 volunteer hours, 36,000 hours dedicated to events, and 328,000 visitors helped at the Information Point. The long-term impact of the volunteer effort continues to shape the Park’s character and community connections.
“We are immensely proud to support Our Park Life as a long-term partner in nurturing both the landscape and the community at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The dedication shown by OPL’s volunteers is nothing short of inspiring — their passion brings life, colour and pride to every corner of the park.
This awards night is a well-deserved celebration of the individuals who give their time so generously to help make this one of London’s most cherished green spaces. On behalf of everyone at idverde, we offer our heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all the volunteers honoured tonight — the park simply wouldn’t be the same without you.” – Saul Huxley, Organic Development Director.
Adele shared some of the standout moments from the past year. These included the launch of the self-guided London Blossom Garden Wellbeing Tour, which has already attracted more than 600 participants, and a new Diversity and Inclusion training course developed specifically for Park Champions has received great feedback.
Partnerships have also continued to grow, with collaborations involving UCL, RSPB, Sadler’s Wells and other local organisations.
From guiding visitors and supporting biodiversity surveys to assisting at high-profile events such as the London Athletics Meet, ABBA Voyage and UK Black Pride, just to name a few, Park Champions have shown exceptional commitment and adaptability.
The evening also offered a glimpse of what’s next. Adele spoke about the Skills Swap pilot, a new initiative giving Park Champions the chance to share their talents and learn from one another. And while a few exciting announcements are still under wraps, she encouraged everyone to keep an eye on the newsletters for updates.
As the speeches ended and guests gathered to chat and celebrate, one message came through clearly: the Park Champions programme continues to thrive because of the people behind it. The time, enthusiasm and care volunteers give make a real difference to visitors, to the Park’s green spaces and to the wider community.
From everyone at idverde, Groundwork London, LLDC and Our Parklife – thank you. Your contribution keeps the Park alive and welcoming, and we look forward to another year of shared success.
