Get Involved with the Green Party in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole

Updated 31st May 2022

For full current listings of local Green Party and local community events, check out our Events calendar.

Current volunteering opportunities 

Winton East Green View Spring 2022 p2Winton East Green View Spring 2022 p1Leafleting volunteers in Winton East and Moordown: Can you spare an hour or two, in your own time? You can help our Green councillors Simon Bull and Chris Rigby, or Moordown Green Party campaigner Kate Salmon, by delivering their community communication door-to-door, direct to local residents. Gentle exercise included! It's largely by keeping newsletter deliveries going door-to-door all year round that we win and retain residents' support.

Email secretary@bcp.greenparty.org.uk to volunteer. Leafleting volunteering is open to members and non-member supporters.

 

Surveying volunteers in Winton East and Moordown: The other way the local Green Party reaches out directly to residents is with 60-second surveys. We are looking for more volunteers to hand out and collect surveys. This involves knocking on local residents' doors to hand them a survey form (from Councillor Simon Bull and Councillor Chris Rigby in Winton East; or from Kate Salmon in Moordown), seeking their views on local priorities and services - information that's really useful for their work standing up for local residents, and building an effective campaign. 

60-second surveying on a resident's doorstepHanding out the surveys is easy! See a demo video clip (from the 2019 campaign), or see what one of the survey forms looks likeIf you've not surveyed before but you're open to being a Green Party ambassador to local residents, we'll show you how to get started and pair you up with someone more experienced.

During British Summer Time 2022, Kate Salmon leads a surveying session most Thursday evenings from 5pm in Moordown [email Kate to volunteer], while there is usually a Winton East session on the last Wednesday of the month, from 5pm (before BCPGP's monthly hub meeting) led by one or both councillors when available [email the Secretary to volunteer, or check local members' mailings or our members' Slack workspace].

As surveying volunteers handle sensitive survey responses and legally restricted electoral register data, this is an opportunity for Green Party members only. (Not a member yet? You can volunteer as soon as you've joined!)

Come to an action day

A local Green Party action day, in Winton East

We periodically hold Action Days in Moordown (led by Kate Salmon) and Winton East (led by one or both councillors), usually on Saturdays from 10am till 4.00pm - plus social breakfast beforehand, further friendly chats available over lunch, and the opportunity for a well-earned drink at the end!

In the morning session we go out surveying in twos or threes - or you can leaflet if you'd prefer. In Saturday after-lunch sessions (when fewer residents are at home) we switch to leafleting in pairs.

Check local members' mailings, the calendar on this website, our Facebook or Twitter account, or our members' Slack space, for information on any action days we currently have scheduled. 

Become a Green Party member

Not yet a member? It will cost between 50p and £3 per month, and grant you access to all these local opportunities. See our separate page for information about joining the Green Party.

Becoming a member gives you access to all the following opportunities...

Join the online conversation on Slack

Slack logoFor local collaboration among active members, the local party is using the digital platform Slack, accessible in any Web browser or as an app (iOS/Android/Windows).

All members who wish to be active in local party activities are strongly encouraged to get yourselves onto our Slack workspace (where the most up-to-date discussion and information is likely to be available) and then to set up the Slack app on your smartphone.

Slack is organised by "channels", where you sign up for the channels relevant to you:

  • Everyone is on #general for general discussion - plus #random, a separate channel for off-topic chat
  • We have a channel for discussion and collaboration on each of the themes for local Climate & Ecological Emergency action identified in our most recent People's Assembly - or you can start an additional channel for an extra topic
  • Each town has its own channel (#bournemouth, #christchurch, #poole) and each active local area (eg #winton) - you can add your own
  • Specialist organisational functions (any of which you can get involved with if they're your thing) also have their own channel.

Get onto Slack, and learn how to use it: Further details on our Members' area page. 

Join (or start) a neighbourhood Green group

Neighbourhood Green team on a litter pickWe currently have two active local groups. All Green-minded folk in the areas covered are invited to connect with their group.

Green Party member? Interested in starting a neighbourhood Green Party group where you live in Urban Dorset? We can help you get started. Email Martine at membership@bcp.greenparty.org.uk

Become a local party officer

Overlaid with the working groups model, we have a team of elected local party officers. If you're a member and you're interested in making a significant (but flexible and reasonable) activist commitment to helping the Green Party locally, and taking responsibility for an area of work to which you can bring some skills, please consider becoming an officer of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Green Party (BCPGP).

Being an elected officer in your local party is a rewarding way to volunteer, and a valuable way to contribute to its organisation and running. You will be a member off an active and communicating team which works within the structure and ethos of the Green Party, always remaining accountable to the members.

BCPGP elects its officers at its AGM each September. However we can 'co-opt' officers into vacant posts in-between AGMs. We do have a number of vacancies currently - see the list of officer roles (on the national party intranet, member login required) compared to our current list of elected officers. We also seek members for our Disputes Resolution Panel, to serve on an 'as and when' basis when a dispute occurs. 

Role descriptions (based on National guidance) for each post are available here and our current constitution can be found here

Stand for BCP Council

Simon Bull celebrating his 2015 election win with local Green membersWe are seeking enthusiastic, committed and hard-working candidates to help prepare for the next council elections in their ward. The next full BCP Council election will be in May 2023 - but preparing properly to strongly compete takes anything from 9-18 months, and the earlier you start the better. Additionally by-elections can be called for a number of reasons at short notice, so we have to be prepared at all times!

Green Party candidates must be paid-up members of the Green Party and support its main aims and policies. We are particularly keen to ensure diversity amongst our candidates. A variety of training resources and peer support will be available.

Email chris.henderson@bcp.greenparty.org.uk to register your interest in being an active council candidate, outlining any relevant experience, skills and/or existing community involvement, and identifying where you live.

 

Find out more