Once again, today – 1st June – is the start of National Volunteers’ Week. This is our opportunity to say Thank You to all our amazing volunteers and celebrate the huge amount of work they do in the Aire Valley.
Volunteering is vital to the RSPB - we were founded by a small group of dedicated and passionate volunteers. Today, volunteers remain at the heart of everything we do as an organisation. Over the course of a year, more than 1 million hours are donated across the organisation.
At St Aidan’s and Fairburn Ings, we have over 200 volunteers, who between them have undertaken more than 20,000 hours of work over the last year, contributing and donating their time in lots of different ways, sharing their talents generously to support nature.
There are lots of different ways in which our volunteers do this and roles are constantly developing, but without their work, our sites simply could not operate.
We have teams who on practical habitat creation and maintenance, gardening and welcoming and helping visitors to enjoy their time with us on both sites. Volunteers support us in our shop, including providing expert advice on optics at Fairburn Ings; serve visitors with welcome refreshments in our new Little Owl Café at St Aidan’s; introducing children to nature through school visits and other families’ activities and events. Volunteers also support some of the ‘backroom’ work across the Aire Valley, such as helping with management, projects, admin work and our social media.
Some of our volunteers make a regular commitment to several ours or shifts each week, while others volunteer work more flexibly, when they can. Some volunteering is based on the reserve and some done from home: there really is something for everyone who wants to volunteer with us in the Aire Valley! And there are no barriers - we really do welcome everyone. Our youngest volunteers are 14 and our oldest – well a lot older! And our volunteers bring a huge range of skills, experiences and backgrounds; of course, most of all, they bring their invaluable time and enthusiasm.
It’s a great team to be a part of in RSPB Aire Valley, it’s lot of fun working and volunteering alongside brilliant people and of course all, in their different ways, playing a vital role in our fight to save nature.
If you think you’d like to start volunteering with us, please have a chat with anyone in our teams when you are next visiting or get in touch directly with me. I’d love to talk through what’s involved and help you to find a role that’s perfect for you. Just email me at: Janine.Brown-Jones@RSPB.org.uk to get started.
In the meantime, keep an eye out for more from some of our fantastic volunteers this week - they'll be sharing more about their experiences with us!
Happy Volunteers' Week,
Janine Brown Jones
Volunteer Coordinator, Aire Valley