A winning combination

In which I sing the praises of conservation volunteering

Frozen Lake, South Norwood Country Park, December 2022 (Ruth Bradshaw)

I have been volunteering with TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) Croydon for well over a decade now and I have also volunteered with a number of other organisations, particularly the London Wildlife Trust (LWT) as part of the amazing Great North Wood project, something I plan to write more about soon. Through my volunteering, I have been introduced to many fascinating new places, including some close to where I live but which I never previously knew existed. I have also learnt a lot about other species and the impact that we have on them and that they have on each other.

At the end of a day’s volunteering, I always return home feeling tired but calmer and far more relaxed than when I set out, and I usually sleep well afterwards. Some of this must be down to the physical activity involved and the experience of spending time outdoors in the fresh air, something I particularly value at this time of year when it can often be tempting to hide away indoors. I have felt similar levels of contented exhaustion at the end of a long day’s walk in the countryside. But I find that doing conservation work has a bigger and longer-lasting effect on my well-being, helping me re-establish equilibrium even at times when I’ve started the day feeling stressed and anxious. I put this down partly to the sense of achievement gained from doing tasks such as habitat management, which have an obvious and immediately visible impact as well as longer-term benefits, and partly to the feeling of deep satisfaction that comes from creating with your hands in tune with nature.

Addington Hills in the snow, January 2019 (Ruth Bradshaw)

Conservation volunteering has now become such an important part of my life, that I’ve chosen to work part-time so I can spend more days in the woods. But I am convinced this type of volunteering also has a key role to play in tackling many of the challenges society faces, including growing concerns about species loss, climate change and mental health. When it was first established in the 1950s, the focus was very much on the benefits for the environment but over time there has been a growing emphasis on what it can deliver for the individuals taking part. There is so much evidence now of the benefits that volunteering in nature delivers for people’s health and well-being, particularly for those who are new to this kind of volunteering. And there are now increasing number of projects aimed at extending those benefits to as many people as possible by providing volunteering opportunities to those who might not be able to access them easily, such as refugees and asylum seekers.

Conservation volunteering is growing in popularity - the amount of time people devoted to it  increased by 61% between 2000 and 2019 (there was a significant decline in 2020 as a result of Covid-19 restrictions but numbers are now rising again) - and yet the topic still gets very little attention in nature writing. When authors describe the benefits they have experienced from working on the land they are usually writing about looking after woods and fields they own. There are numerous books about the experiences of running a small-holding or trying to restore a small patch of countryside to its former glory. I understand this desire to connect with the land and that many people feel ownership and the opportunity this provides to control how the land is managed is the best way to contribute to enhancing nature, but I have never felt the need to own any more land than the tiny garden beside my house. When I am doing conservation volunteering, as well as feeling more connected to the land itself, I also feel a sense of connection to the earlier generations that looked after the land, most of whom would not have owned it either.

Bluebells in King’s Wood, April 2022 (Ruth Bradshaw)

Research published last year suggests that UK citizens experience lower wellbeing and are less connected to nature than those of many other European countries. I am never entirely comfortable with talk of “nature connectedness” as it seems to ignore the fact that we are ourselves a part of nature but I agree that we all need to develop a closer relationship with, and better understanding of, the other species who share our planet. However, that cannot rely on us all owning a little piece of the countryside, even if we could afford to. The population is too large for that now. If all the residents of cities bought up land in rural areas, there would be no countryside left. 

For the foreseeable future the majority of us will continue living in cities – whether by choice or necessity – so we need to ensure that there are as many opportunities as possible for city dwellers to encounter wildlife. Protecting and enhancing the parts of the countryside that are easily accessible from cities has to be an important part of this but in a city the size of London the nearest countryside may still be quite a distance away and not everyone has the time and resources or the inclination to make such long journeys. A key part of the solution must therefore lie in ensuring that cities are more liveable places for all their inhabitants whether human or non-human, and in giving city dwellers the opportunity to connect with land through taking part in conservation volunteering and other similar activities. I certainly plan to carry on doing lots of conservation volunteering in 2024. If you’ve not tried it yet and want to have a go, I’ve included some suggestions for you below.

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To finish….

…a few things I’d like to share:

1. The Conservation Volunteers (TCV): There are opportunities to volunteer with TCV across most of the UK. You can find out what’s happening in your local area on this website. If you want to find out more about TCV Croydon, the group I volunteer with, you can have a look at their Facebook page which includes lots of great photos and some amusing commentary.

2. Other volunteering opportunities: The other organisation that I have done a lot of volunteering with is the London Wildlife Trust. There are details of current opportunities on their website which also includes this lovely video about the value of volunteering. You can find information other volunteering opportunities with Wildlife Trusts around the country here. Numerous other organisations ranging from the Friends’ groups for local parks to the big conservation NGOs like RSPB and the Woodland Trust also need conservation volunteers.

3. Out of the Woods by Luke Turner. This is the only book of nature writing I’ve found that includes much mention of conservation volunteering. Turner has a strong attachment to Epping Forest and has lived close to it for most of his life. The book describes his many visits to the Forest and how his relationship with it changes as he comes to terms with his sexuality and the impacts of being sexually abused as a teenager. What eventually helps him regain his love of the Forest is getting involved in conservation volunteering. In the penultimate chapter of the book (‘Sap Lust’) he writes movingly his experiences and the benefits he gains: For days after a session in the forest the pains in my body attest to the feeling of being part of nature…Nothing had ever made me feel like this before, an overwhelming surge of contentment. In those moments I know who I am….