Your time is precious – Volunteers Week
May 25, 2017
Volunteering isn’t only good for the National Park. We know our volunteers come for many reasons and get a lot out of it. They gain new skills, discover their local history, make new friends, get exercise and enjoy nature.
Whoever you are, there are opportunities out there that will fit to your specific skills, interests and time.
Are you an outgoing dog owner, who understands the importance of ‘taking the lead’ and loves talking to people? You’d make a perfect dog walking ambassador. Would you like to know how to identify different plants and animals on your local heath? Maybe biodiversity monitoring, with full species identification training, is for you. The Heathlands Reunited project is currently recruiting for both.
You might be surprised how few permanent members of staff your local museum or nature reserve actually has. These places are almost entirely reliant on the enthusiasm of their volunteers.
Tucked behind the railway station in Lewes lies a 25 acre wildlife site – the Railway Land Nature Reserve.
Owned by Lewes District Council the site is home to the Railway Land Wildlife Trust and their purpose built environmental education centre, the Linklater Pavilion. It is open to the public year-round, hosts school visits, runs events every Sunday afternoon throughout the summer and will run a full festival on 18 June. Helen Meade, Programme Coordinator, is the Reserve’s only paid staff member.
“From planning and running our events to supporting school visits, admin, building maintenance and practical conservation. You name it and our volunteers do it!” says Helen. “We only exist because volunteers campaigned for the former rail yards to become a nature reserve and then later raised funds to build the fully accessible Linklater Pavillion.
“We always need more volunteers so we can do more things. I work hard to fit people’s skills and abilities to jobs and I think most people have a lot of fun with it. Some of our events are for families – with crafts, pond dipping or guided walks – but we also host more serious talks on environmental issues.
“Our biggest challenge is the timing. We get a steady stream of volunteers coming forward but not always when we need them.”
The old Police Station in Petersfield recently became the new home of Petersfield Museum. The Museum has a good social history collection, the Flora Twort Gallery, Bedales Historic Dress Collection and the Edward Thomas Study Centre and runs a variety of activities year-round, from family activities during school holidays to monthly adult education talks. A fundraising campaign is underway to meet big plans to improve the museum, its exhibitions and work within the community.
The museum has three members of staff, which makes the 45 volunteers who work there crucial to keeping the galleries and activities running.
“We don’t really have a ‘typical’ volunteer role,” says Katherine West, Museum Curator and Manager, “There are lots of ways people can get involved – from collections care and documentation to assisting with learning activities, leading guided tours and researching and preparing exhibitions.
“It can be difficult to find new volunteers. People have a lot of demands on and options for their spare time. Our challenge, and responsibility, is to make sure that volunteering with us is stimulating and interesting enough to be attractive. We try to match volunteer roles to individual skills and interests and have regular Volunteer Forums to gather feedback and improve our volunteer service.”
“There are lots of ways people can get involved – from collections care and documentation to assisting with learning activities, leading guided tours and researching and preparing exhibitions.
With annual Volunteers Week celebrations running from 1-7 June why not find the projects in your community in need of your time?
“There are small groups like this all over the National Park in need of your help,” says Ian Hartle, Volunteer Development Officer for the South Downs National Park. “Getting involved can be incredibly rewarding – you’ll not only learn new skills and meet like-minded people but your support keeps these places open and available for others to enjoy.”
Top tips for prospective volunteers
We asked Helen, Katherine and Ian what advice they would give to would-be volunteers.
- Don’t assume that you can only volunteer with big organisations. You might make the biggest difference working locally.
- Volunteering in an area you’re interested in will make it more rewarding so do your research and find an organisation which fits you.
- Don’t be afraid to try it out. People who already volunteer are generally friendly, interesting and very welcoming to new people.
Find more local volunteering opportunities, and add your own, on the South Downs Volunteering Map
To find out about volunteering with Petersfield Museum, call 01730 262601 or email curator@petersfieldmuseum.co.uk
To offer your skills to the Railway Land Nature Reserve call Helen on 01273 477101 or visit www.railwaylandproject.org/volunteering