Thanks to Site Manager Julianne Evans for her words

Today would have been our annual Volunteer BBQ, a day to say thank you to our amazing volunteers for everything they do. I usually do a presentation of our achievements during the year but sadly can’t do so today. So, here is a summary. 

Despite the strange circumstances of the past few months, our volunteers should be really proud of all they have achieved. Wiggonholt Heath looks better than ever thanks to hours of birch clearance, dragging and burning, assisted by funding from the Bannister Trust & the Heritage Lottery Funded Heathlands Reunited project. Even though no translocations of field cricket were possible as part of the HLF funded Back from the Brink project, three were heard singing this spring, meaning the crickets translocated last year bred successfully! Scrub management and hedge-laying continued, vital for providing suitable nesting and feeding habitats for birds, such as nightingale, and bats. Numbers of singing males increased again this year and at least one pair was seen feeding fledged young. Memorial donations allowed us to plant over a hundred trees and enlarge our pond areas to create more wet woodland habitat. One day we hope to get turtle dove back as a breeding species. Thanks to a generous legacy we were also able to replace and improve Hanger View. Despite not being able to get the anti-predator fence up until mid-April, breeding waders seem to have had a better year than last year, including our first ever breeding avocets.

Volunteers have contributed 22,680 hours to all areas of running the reserve, including 1,290 hours in the shop, 8,950 in visitor experience (which includes events, school visits, welcome) and 8,595 hours on conservation work, not to mention the 2,000 plus hours on administration such as managing the huge team of 190 volunteers, running coach trips, producing newsletters, dealing with memorial donations and much more. Even during lockdown and our gradual re-opening, we have been receiving their invaluable help and support. All our volunteers help us to deliver our mission to Save Nature, in fact we couldn’t do it without them! 

A huge heartfelt thank you from all of us at Pulborough, we are looking forward to having you back!