St Nicks

St Nicks St Nicks, the green heart of York, is a former landfill site transformed into a thriving nature reserve. Registered CIO charity no. 1153739

St Nicks (registered as 'Friends of St Nicholas Fields') is the green heart of York - a centre for nature and green living. We started by transforming a former landfill site into a thriving Local Nature Reserve. We continue to manage it with the help of over 150 volunteers, for the benefit of both wildlife and our visitors. We are based at St Nicks Environment Centre, a showcase of sustainable des

ign features. From this base, we run projects and services that help to make York more sustainable. These include a low emissions kerbside recycling collection, environmental education programme, corporate volunteering days and a programme of events. The Centre is available for booking for meetings, seminars and other events.

Come work with us! We're looking for a skilled and experienced Site Maintenance Officer to join our team. This is an ess...
03/06/2026

Come work with us! We're looking for a skilled and experienced Site Maintenance Officer to join our team.

This is an essential role for St Nicks to help keep our Environment Centre and local nature reserve in good repair and a welcoming space for our staff, volunteers and visitors. Our ideal candidate will have practical skills and experience in general maintenance, building and reserve infrastructure, and be able to proactively manage the site.

This is a permanent role and applications close Friday 3rd July. For more information or to apply, please visit stnicks.org.uk/about-us/vacancies/

Have we got newts for you!What a transformation 😍 Thanks to the help of our rangers and St Nicks volunteers, the pond at...
03/06/2026

Have we got newts for you!

What a transformation 😍 Thanks to the help of our rangers and St Nicks volunteers, the pond at the Environment Centre is holding water again. The newts are very happy about it too! 💚

Dates and locations (including the what3words reference) of this month's Urban Green Corridors volunteer sessions ⬇️ Pop...
02/06/2026

Dates and locations (including the what3words reference) of this month's Urban Green Corridors volunteer sessions ⬇️ Pop along for an bit or stay for the morning!

More info at stnicks.org.uk/volunteer-sessions/all-sessions/

Don't forget to check out your favourite podcast! 😁 "Green Corridors: Tune into Nature" looks at the powerful ways peopl...
02/06/2026

Don't forget to check out your favourite podcast! 😁

"Green Corridors: Tune into Nature" looks at the powerful ways people and nature enrich each other. Expect thoughtful and uplifting conversations about natural spaces, creativity and wellbeing, and how we can all nurture a sense of belonging.

Whether you're on the move or taking a break, every episode will help you reconnect with the natural world. To listen, just click either of the links below:

- https://www.youtube.com/
- https://www.buzzsprout.com/2352784

It's that time of year when we focus a lot of our conservation work on removing Himalayan balsam. It may have pretty pin...
01/06/2026

It's that time of year when we focus a lot of our conservation work on removing Himalayan balsam. It may have pretty pink flowers but the damage it causes to our native species can de devastating!

Take at look at the pile some of our volunteers removed in one session last year- very impressive!

Unfortunately there is always more that needs to come out, so why not grab a few handfuls on your next walk along the river? Every plant removed stops Himalayan balsam from spreading 💪

(Himalayan balsam plants have tall, reddish stems and pale pink flowerheads.)

The Red Tower wildflower area is thriving! ❤️ Just when the sun started shining, we dug out some of the tussocky grass a...
29/05/2026

The Red Tower wildflower area is thriving! ❤️

Just when the sun started shining, we dug out some of the tussocky grass and plug planted in the gaps. We've had to go back and water, but that's not a bad job in this weather!

So much red and white campion, speedwell and burnett are flowering, and lots of pollinators are already using the patch 🙌

Passers by always enjoy a chat about what we're up to, so say hi if you see us out and about - or simply take a minute to stop and watch the butterflies 🦋

Next job at Red Tower... doc control! 💪

An opportunity to get gardening and improve your wellbeing in Holgate! 🌱 Join our new group ‘Fork to Food’ for an introd...
29/05/2026

An opportunity to get gardening and improve your wellbeing in Holgate! 🌱

Join our new group ‘Fork to Food’ for an introduction on how to grow food in a small space. We’ll get our hands dirty and our forks in the soil, and learn how to prepare the ground using the ‘no-dig’ method to sow seeds and grow delicious salads, herbs and greens 🧑‍🌾🍽️🥗

This group is set to run fortnightly for 4 sessions to begin with (with potential for more!), starting in June at the Holgate Allotments.

Interested? Visit stnicks.org.uk/nature-based-wellbeing/ for more information about Nature-Based Wellbeing and how to join. Alternatively, email our team at [email protected] 💚

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This Nature-Based Wellbeing group is kindly funded by The National Grid Electricity Transmission Local Community Fund.

‘Evergreen Arts’ – our new creative peer group for wellbeing, where we take inspiration from nature (the best possible i...
28/05/2026

‘Evergreen Arts’ – our new creative peer group for wellbeing, where we take inspiration from nature (the best possible inspiration in our opinion!) 🎨🌳

This may be by going walks around the reserve, taking in the sights and sounds of the garden or looking at art by other nature-based creators.

We will explore a variety of media to create playfully with lots of experimentation, whether that’s drawing, painting, collage, origami, textiles, photography or writing - we'll follow the interests of the group!

The group runs weekly on Tuesdays 2-4pm, and you can join for up to 6 months.

Interested? Visit our website stnicks.org.uk/nature-based-wellbeing/ to find out more about our Nature-Based Wellbeing groups and how to join!

How can we make St Nicks more inclusive of young voices? Our Young Research Group are exploring how we can improve St Ni...
28/05/2026

How can we make St Nicks more inclusive of young voices?

Our Young Research Group are exploring how we can improve St Nicks and other green spaces for young people across York, and we're here to listen!

We would love to hear the thoughts of other young people in York, and from those working with local youth groups, schools and organisations so please share this post with your networks 💭

You can help our young researchers by by completing their short survey before 4th June: https://buff.ly/Pa7Ohbp

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This project is in collaboration with York St John University.

Did you know our Recycling Team can collect cables, wires and charging leads?Top tips to recycle your cables, wires and ...
27/05/2026

Did you know our Recycling Team can collect cables, wires and charging leads?

Top tips to recycle your cables, wires and charging leads:
♻️ Leave them loose in your box, or if you have a lot pop them in a bag
♻️ Plugs on or off - leave the plugs and ends on, or take them off, we don't mind.
♻️ Please don't try to include any other electrical appliance or accessory, only the wires themselves.

Whether you are a resident, business, charity, holiday let, pop-up shop, event or anything else you can contact us to collect your recycling!

Address

St Nicks Environment Centre, Rawdon Avenue
York
YO103FW

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