Creative community projects you can support with hire equipment this Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s a time when many of us start thinking about giving back and supporting the communities around us. While festive events and donations are amazing, practical projects that improve shared outdoor spaces can have a lasting impact long after the decorations come down. If you have a bit of spare time over the Christmas period, organising or supporting a community gardening project can be a great way to bring people together while making a difference!

Winter may not be the time for major planting or landscaping, but there’s still plenty that can be done to maintain, protect, and tidy outdoor areas. Whether it’s keeping pathways clear or preparing spaces for use in the months ahead, small jobs now can help prevent bigger jobs later on.

At Smiths Hire, we’ve been supporting projects of all sizes for over 50 years, providing reliable tool hire to help people get the job done safely and efficiently. So, with that in mind, here are a few community-focused projects that are well suited to the winter months, along with the equipment that can help make them easier.

Community garden tidy-ups

Community gardens and shared green spaces often take a back seat during the colder months, but a winter tidy-up can make a huge difference. Clearing overgrown areas, removing fallen leaves, and preparing beds helps keep these spaces usable and ready for planting when spring arrives.

Simple tasks like cutting back long grass, removing weeds, and clearing paths are much quicker and more manageable with the right equipment. Tools like brushcutters and strimmers are ideal for tackling long grass, brambles, and tougher vegetation that’s been left unchecked since summer. Garden blowers and shovels are perfect for quickly clearing leaves and debris from paths, seating areas, and entrances, helping keep communal spaces usable throughout winter. And when it comes to shaping hedges and shrubs, hedge trimmers allow you to neaten things up without disturbing any of the plants during their dormant period.

Making pathways and entrances safer

Shared outdoor spaces like parks, housing estates, schools, and community centres often see more people coming and going over Christmas. With wet weather, fallen leaves, and general winter debris, paths and entrances can quickly become slippery and unsafe if they’re not kept on top of.

A winter clear-up is less about making everything look perfect and more about keeping people safe and comfortable when using these spaces. Simple jobs like clearing walkways, ramps, steps, and building entrances can make a big difference, especially for older people, families with prams and young children, or anyone with limited mobility. Keeping access routes clear also helps ensure spaces remain usable throughout the colder months, even in poor weather.

For smaller areas, a standard garden rake should do the job nicely; however, for larger areas, leaf blowers are a quick and effective way to clear wet leaves and loose debris without too much effort, making them ideal for volunteer groups working to a tight timeframe.

If paths or entrances have built-up moss or grime, a pressure washer can help clean surfaces properly and improve grip underfoot. A job like this also helps prevent moisture from sitting on paving for long periods, which can lead to staining or longer-term damage, or just the greater risk of someone slipping and hurting themself. A bit of time spent on pathway maintenance can go a long way in helping shared spaces stay safe, welcoming, and accessible throughout winter and much easier to manage come spring.

Dealing with fallen branches and storm damage

With a few storms already passing through and the weather still looking a little worse for wear, many community spaces are starting to feel the effects of winter conditions. Strong winds, heavy rain, and saturated ground can all lead to fallen branches, damaged shrubs, and loose debris, particularly in more open or exposed areas.

Dealing with this kind of storm damage sooner rather than later is important, not just for appearances, but for safety, too. Fallen branches can block footpaths, damage fences, or create trip hazards, while loose or weakened limbs left hanging in trees can become dangerous if more bad weather rolls in. A quick check around parks, gardens, and shared green spaces can help spot any problem areas before they turn into bigger issues.

For clearing and managing storm debris safely, chainsaws and telescopic chainsaws are well-suited to cutting fallen branches down to a manageable size, whether they’re on the ground or still partially attached. Breaking wood down makes it easier to remove, stack, or reuse, depending on the space.

Creating and maintaining wildlife-friendly spaces

Winter is a crucial time for our local wildlife, even if we don’t see them much! So, community projects that take animals into account can make a real difference. Many species are currently hibernating or sheltering, including hedgehogs, bats, frogs, toads, and insects, while birds and small mammals rely heavily on safe outdoor spaces and natural food sources to get through the colder months.

Rather than major clearance, winter wildlife projects are all about careful maintenance. Creating or topping up log piles, leaving leaf piles in designated areas, and keeping access clear to existing habitats help animals stay protected without unnecessary disturbance. These quieter months are also a good time to make sure feeding areas and shelters are accessible and not blocked by fallen branches or debris (you can always top them up while you’re at it, too!)

When light clearance is needed, garden shears can help remove overhanging or damaged branches without disturbing ground-level habitats, and if needed, strimmers can be useful for tidying back small areas carefully. You can use a rake to gather fallen leaves and relocate them to wildlife-friendly zones, striking a balance between keeping shared spaces tidy and supporting local ecosystems. However, it’s important to remember that you must touch any of these habitats while you’re doing this, so as not to disturb the animals!

A little time and teamwork over Christmas can go a long way in supporting shared outdoor spaces and the people who use them. If you’re planning to get involved and need the right equipment to help, we’re here to help. We offer a wide range of gardening tools available to hire, making it easier to take on community projects of all sizes, whether you’re working as part of a group or lending a hand locally.

With 18 tool hire depots across the North West and Yorkshire, including Manchester, Liverpool, and Leeds, we’re never far away! You can visit your nearest depot or speak to our friendly team on 0333 323 2100 for advice on the best equipment for your community project this Christmas.