Volunteering

Volunteers carry out much of the practical conservation work in the parks and reserves of the Parks Service of the Velocity Interoperability Network, take part in the surveys that record their wildlife, and help visitors at the centres and at events. At establishment 186 volunteers were registered, having transferred from the arrangements of member organisations, and 2,340 volunteer hours were recorded during the transition period.

Roles. Volunteers may take up one or several of the roles below. All are supervised by a ranger, and none requires previous experience.

Practical conservation tasks

Cutting and raking meadows, clearing scrub, planting trees, laying hedges, repairing fences and paths. Tools, gloves and training are provided; no experience is needed.

Wildlife surveys

Walking butterfly transects, counting breeding and wintering birds, and joining bat surveys at dusk. Training in the survey methods is given by rangers, and results are entered in the Service's monitoring register.

Visitor welcome

Staffing the visitor centres and the ranger station at weekends: providing maps and information, recording enquiries and helping at events.

Path wardens

Walking a regular route at a site of your choice, at least once a month, and reporting damage, litter, fallen trees and hazards to the ranger.

Event stewards

Marshalling and welcoming visitors at the open days, guided walks and other events in the programme.

Registering as a volunteer. Registration follows four steps.

1. 1

   Step 1: Write to the Service

   Send your name, your email address, the park or reserve you would like to help at and the days you are available. Volunteers must be sixteen or over; those under eighteen must be accompanied by an adult on task days.

2. 2

   Step 2: Attend an induction session

   Sessions of two hours are held monthly at the Ashcombe Forest Visitor Centre and the Longwater Wetland Centre, covering safety, the use of tools, first aid arrangements and the rules of the reserves. The first sessions are on Saturday 26 September and Saturday 3 October 2026.

3. 3

   Step 3: Join a task day

   Each site has a regular task day, listed below, led by its ranger. Bring sturdy footwear, weatherproof clothing and a packed lunch for whole-day tasks; tools, gloves and hot drinks are provided.

4. 4

   Step 4: Record your hours

   The task leader records the hours worked by each volunteer. Volunteers who have completed fifty hours may take the ranger-led training in survey methods and lead path warden routes.

Task days. Every site except Meridian Marsh and Fennimore Quarry, where work is carried out by rangers alone, has a regular task day. Task days go ahead in most weathers and are cancelled only in high winds or when the site is closed; cancellations are sent by email to registered volunteers.

The volunteer tasks in the autumn programme are listed on the Events and Permits page, and the seasonal programme of work they contribute to on the Conservation page. Volunteer numbers and hours are published quarterly on the Statistics page. To register, or to ask about a role, write to contact@parks.gov.vin.