Environment Volunteer Roles

Purpose of your role: 
The Dunsmore Living Landscape project aims to link up Warwickshire’s ancient woodlands, hedgerows, grasslands and ponds, and reconnect people with their local wild places. We work on nature reserves, farms and country parks throughout the Living Landscape area. Join us to get stuck in with practical habitat management and surveying in this beautiful area. 

Tasks you will be involved with: 

Tasks will vary throughout the year, ranging from wildflower meadow management and surveying in the summer to coppicing, path work, hedgerow restoration, scrub clearance and hedge planting in the autumn and winter. There are also opportunities to join us with the Dormouse Reintroduction project, hedgerow surveying and data entry and analysis in your own time. 

Skills and abilities required: 

No prior experience needed, as full training is provided
You should bring suitable footwear and waterproof clothing, all tools and safety equipment will be provided
A willingness to work outside in all weather and in remote locations
An understanding of the importance of health and safety in the environment described
Able to follow instructions, able to follow and work to our Health and Safety policies and procedures
An awareness of the physical nature of practical work and the requirement to work with and alongside  mechanical and powered equipment

Please note: If you require assistance in your everyday life you will need to attend with someone who can support you throughout the session as it is essential that people are able to take responsibility for their own health &  safety.

Bring a packed lunch, drink, sun cream if weather is hot and insect repellent.

To assist with the smooth running of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust by providing a range of office administration and information services to staff, volunteers and members.

Tasks you will be involved with:
• Management of documentation and records including scanning, filing, archiving and shredding
• Assisting the Administrator with creation and maintenance of internal spreadsheets
• Assisting with the input of data onto our Access Charity CRM database system
• General office duties such as maintaining tidy storage of office consumables, replenishment of first aid consumables, unpacking stationery, checking and updating noticeboards
• Supporting project staff with preparation of materials, e.g. photocopying and laminating display items
• Distributing and dispatching mail

As people, we are all different and we all have different abilities, interests, goals and           aspirations, this is exactly the same for a new volunteer with the Trust and more so when it’s a young person.

As a Volunteer Mentor to a young person, aged 16-17 years, you will work with the group leader, helping to support a young person to settle into the volunteering group, give guidance on the tasks being undertaken, and help to build their confidence whilst becoming part of the team.
 
Tasks you will be involved with: 
Supporting a young person to undertake practical conservation tasks. Tasks will vary throughout the year, ranging from meadow and ride cutting in the summer to coppicing, tree felling and scrub clearance in the winter along with various other construction projects, fencing, pond work, litter picking. Often the work will involve the use of hand tools, such as loppers and bowsaws, rakes and tree-poppers.

The café is a popular part of our visitor experience, and can become extremely busy, especially during the school holidays. We also have local people who pop in for a coffee or just taking time out of their day to have a bite to eat.

We value the support from volunteers to ensure that we continue to provide high quality food and excellent customer service to our visitors.

If you like being part of a busy and friendly team, where no day is the same and where you get to interact with lots of people then we would love to hear from you!

Tasks you will be involved with:

• Working within a busy café environment, assisting with food prep, serving customers and taking food orders,   using the till and handling payments, clearing down tables and loading of dishwasher, using and operating catering equipment. 
• Customer interactions, talking to people about their visit, what they may have seen during their visit and about the work of the Trust.
• You should bring suitable footwear (enclosed toe), protective clothing, eg: an apron will be provided.

Purpose of your role:

If you love being active outdoors and enjoy practical tasks, then we would love to hear from you. As a Grounds Maintenance Volunteer, you will work alongside the Maintenance Manager to look after the Visitor Centre grounds, gardens and pathways. You will be the friendly face representing the Trust, both in our Visitor Centre and out and about on the Brandon Marsh reserve. You will work with the team to create enjoyable and memorable experiences by helping to maintain a clean, safe and well-presented Visitor Centre. Your efforts will contribute towards the delivery of the Trust's strategic plan and support the Centre team in striving towards its goals.

Tasks you will be involved with:

Tasks will vary throughout the year and will often involve the use of hand and power tools. The majority of the tasks can be summarised as:

. Trimming bushes, hedges and grassy areas.
. Weeding flowerbeds.
. Planting flowerbeds.
. General maintenance of buildings, gates, fences, signage and pathways.
. Litter picking

Purpose of your role: 
To act as the “eyes and ears” of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust on the ground by visiting your nature reserve on a regular basis and reporting back any interesting sightings, vandalism, fly tipping, site safety issues or any other significant behaviour. 

Tasks you will be involved with: 
Visiting your designated reserve on a regular basis
Reporting any issues to the relevant Reserves Officer
Litter picking
Snipping back any overgrown scrub
Promoting the Trust and the work it does to visitors to the reserve

From beginners, to birdwatchers, families to photographers, as a Guide in a Hide, you will give a warm welcome to all our visitors and encourage them to make the most of their visit to ours hides.
You will help them to identify wildlife they see and understand how supporting our work helps protect these wonderful habitats for wildlife and for people to enjoy.
You will also update the sightings board and inform the Visitor Experience Team of any exciting sightings.

Tasks you will be involved with:
Being welcoming in the Wright Hide, helping point out to the visitors what wildlife they can see.
Walking around the other hides talking to visitors and birdwatching.
Updating the sightings board and informing the Visitor Experience Team of any exciting sightings.
Keeping hides clean and tidy by litter picking and sweeping.

Purpose of your role:

eserves based volunteers assist our Local Reserves Group Volunteer Leader to maintain and enhance their local nature reserve. 

Tasks you will be involved with: 
Tasks will vary throughout the year, ranging from meadow and ride cutting in the summer to coppicing, tree felling and scrub clearance in the winter along with various other construction projects, fencing, pond work, litter picking. Often the work will involve the use of hand tools, mechanical and powered equipment such as brush-cutters, chainsaws, mowers and tractors on site.

Purpose of your role: 
The Sherbourne Valley Project is run by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, with the aims of reconnecting the people of Coventry with the city’s river whilst helping to restore the river for wildlife. As a Practical Conservation Volunteer, you will assist the Sherbourne Valley Project team with a variety of practical tasks that will enhance the wildlife habitats along the Sherbourne Valley area.

Tasks you will be involved with: 
Tasks will vary throughout the year and range from tree felling and coppicing to scrub clearance in the winter, with the removal of invasive species such as Himalayan Balsam in the spring and summer. Some of the work will involve improving the quality of habitat in the river channel, all tasks will involve the use of a variety of hand tools.

Purpose of role: 

We have a growing amount of administrative work as a result of us expanding our membership and fundraising activities to increase our income. You would be supporting us by assisting with a variety of membership and fundraising administrative tasks.

Tasks you will be involved with:

Tasks will vary throughout the year, ranging from compiling membership packs, processing and compiling our Adopt-a-Species packs, filing, inputting new memberships and membership leads, inputting survey results and any other admin task required by the memberships and Fundraising teams. Whilst supporting other teams across the Trust with admin tasks as and when required.

Purpose of your role: 

The Sherbourne Valley Project is run by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, with the aims of reconnecting the people of Coventry with the city’s river whilst helping to restore the river for wildlife. As a Wildlife Monitoring Volunteer, you will assist the Sherbourne Valley Project team with wildlife monitoring tasks, helping us to keep track of how well the wildlife is doing within the areas of the Sherbourne Valley.

Tasks you will be involved with: 

You will be helping to monitor the wildlife along the Sherbourne Valley, this may include identifying and counting               invertebrates found in the river, counting birds or wild flowers and/or any other tasks associated with keeping track of wildlife within the area. Prior knowledge or experience of wildlife identification would be useful but not essential as training and guidance will be offered.

-To identify areas of concern for young people regarding wildlife and the environment and to create campaigns to allow their voices to be heard. 
 -To help support the Trust’s 2030 strategic objectives by developing a bold, confident, young local voice, that raises awareness of the challenges faced by people and wildlife across Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull and inspires young people and their communities to take action for nature.  - The role will look to develop impactful and meaningful campaigns, targeted at young people in the area, that support nature’s recovery and - mobilise young people to take action. 
- Build engagement and involvement with campaigns through social media, press, events, blogs, contacting local MP's and much more. 
- Identifying and sharing (with the Trust and the wider public) stories in the local area which could help to  promote the message of our campaigns and raise awareness of our wider movement and purpose. 
- Helping others to take action for nature through events, campaigns, awareness raising and practical         examples. Talking to members of the public about our #TeamWilder movement and the work of the Trust.
- Working with a diverse range of people across all age groups and communities. Meeting and engaging with like-minded people at campaign events or Trust/Youth Committee meetings.
- Help to build a database of young people and others in the community who wish to take action for nature.
- Work closely with the marketing volunteer and the Marketing and Communications team within the Trust, to share the campaigns with as wide an audience as possible.

Purpose of your role:
To support the staff and volunteers carrying out practical habitat management by ensuring tools and equipment required to complete the work are maintained in a good state of repair.

• Maintaining and repairing a range of hand tools and other Warwickshire Wildlife Trust owned resources in accordance with good working practice.
• Sharpening tools
• Helping maintain a safe, tidy and efficient workshop
• To adhere to WKWT Health & Safety, Policies and Procedures. Liaise with the Reserves Officer regarding any problems arising as soon as is practicable
• Keeping a record of spare parts & materials required
• Keeping a record of maintenance being carried out
• Liaising with the Reserves Officers for any parts or materials that need ordering

 Chair youth committee meetings and have the casting vote at Committee meetings where necessary.
- Responsible for ensuring that relevant communications from the Action for Nature team are circulated to all  Committee members.
- Keeping the Action for Nature team informed of the Youth Committee’s activities and progress.
- Ensures all events and activities have the correct procedures and risks assessments in place to be safe and requires that committee members abide by these. 
- Main committee contact with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust regarding the terms of reference for the youth  committee.