Make a Difference with London Play Design

Are you a student or recent graduate who wants your skills to drive social change? Join London Play Design’s Student Volunteer Programme and help make London more child-friendly by improving play spaces and community gardens in partnership with local charities.

Work with us on supervised, real projects where small, well-made interventions add up to big community impact. Bring your curiosity and craft (design, architecture, engineering, journalism, media, marketing, landscape, sustainability); leave with purpose, portfolio pieces, and places that work better for children.

Please Note: 

  • You must currently study at a UK educational institution or have recently graduated. 

What We Offer

  • Build real things: help install small, maintainable features—decks, planters, paths, play elements—under supervision.

  • Co-design with communities: turn consultation into sketches, simple build packs and site-ready details.

  • Learn by doing: handle power tools; see how RAMS and sign-off work on a live project.

  • Tell the story: capture before/after photos, short interviews and case notes that become portfolio pieces.

  • Share the impact: create social posts, short reels and newsletters that turn project outcomes into engaging, on-brand content.. 

Hands-On Experience

  • Undergraduate, postgraduate, and recent graduates are all welcome.

  • Flexible commitment that fits timetables and deadlines (one-off or ongoing).

  • Close supervision & mentoring from our design, build and comms leads.

  • Interdisciplinary welcome: design, architecture, engineering, journalism, media, marketing, landscape, sustainability and more.

Open to All Student Levels 

Activities and Roles

  • Supervise and guide teams of corporate volunteer.

  • Keep it smooth and safe—help set up, spot issues early, and see tasks finished well.

  • Perfect for the curious—get hands-on insight into site management, construction or architecture. 

Assistant Volunteer Manager

 

  • Help solve real problems. Join our studio-based design + make days and turn live playground challenges into practical, durable solutions.

  • What you’ll do: ideate → sketch → prototype → test on site — with supervision, tools and materials provided.

  • Ideal for Designers, Architects, Engineers, and Urban Designers students

Design Workshop

  • Help us tell the stories that keep London playful. You’ll write clear, engaging pieces about our projects and the bigger ideas behind them: children’s right to play, making London more child-friendly, practical funding models when budgets are tight, and the value of adventure playgrounds, community kitchens and gardens for low-income families and vulnerable people.

  • Write impact pieces: case studies (before/after, real voices) and features on children’s right to play and child-friendly cities.

  • Explain the “how”: accessible explainers on our funding/partnership models and how design/policy choices change outcomes.

  • Report & interview: speak to site leads, volunteers and partners (intros provided) and work from tidy briefs with facts, quotes, photos and KPIs.

  • Flexible brief: we’re open to related themes; contribute a one-off article or take on an ongoing writing role.

  • Ideal for journalism, media and marketing students

Community Impact Writer

We’re always running different projects and roles—and we can’t always update the website in time. We especially welcome help with social media, photo/video, research, writing, and hands-on construction—and anyone passionate about social impact. If our cause speaks to you, get in touch and tell us your skills and interests; we’ll do our best to find a fit.

Please note: opportunities depend on live projects and supervision. We only bring volunteers in when there’s real work to do and proper support. If it isn’t possible right now, we’ll keep your details for future roles.

Why Volunteer with Us?

Real-World Impact: Help enhance and preserve vital play spaces, enabling children to explore, learn, and grow. 

Skill Development: Develop project management, teamwork, and leadership skills while building a professional network. 

Flexible Schedule: Volunteer roles are on an ad-hoc basis, fitting around your academic commitments. 

Community Engagement: Contribute to London’s neighbourhoods, fostering safe, inclusive, and vibrant play environments. 

Full Support: We cover all travel and meal expenses, provide work clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE), and offer comprehensive supervision and training.

How to Apply

If you’re passionate about community development and want to gain practical experience in your field, we’d love to hear from you! Please send your CV and a cover letter outlining your relevant experience and why you’re interested in volunteering with London Play Design to: 

Email: aidan@londonplaydesign.org.uk 

We look forward to welcoming you to our team and working together to make London a better place for children to learn, play, and thrive.