Weekly update, 30th January

 

A glorious sunny hint of spring g'day to you all! There are definite signs of spring at Wallingford Castle Meadows where winter aconite (above) and snowdrops have been spotted.

A huge thanks to those who have put their hands up for Lambing in the last week and another big thanks to those that have so far filled in the volunteer contact preferences form - if you haven't yet, it only takes two seconds!

Another fun-filled half term is just round the corner - read on for more about how you can help out...

Don't forget it's the first Saturday of the month this weekend which means it's Saturday Group at Abbey Fishponds. Thursday Group, I'm out with you to say hello this week! Let's hope for some more sun...

Have a lovely week,

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

Coming up this week:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 1st February

Thank you to everyone who came out last week, the group made real progress coppicing the willow at Little Homes Field near Thrupp Lake. This week they’ll be carrying on where they left off including having a bonfire! As usual the day will be from 10am-3pm(ish) and do bring wellies as there are areas which are now really wet underfoot, thanks to all that rain over the weekend! Please meet at the metal vehicle gate - accessed via Tuckwell’s yard (orange arrow on Streetmap). Please let Lucy know whether you can make it.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 2nd February

It's more hedgelaying for the group at Paradise Wood this week. Please meet Adam outside the workshop just below the visitors car park at the Earth Trust Centre at 9am if you would like to take part.

Saturday Group (Abbey Fishponds), 3rd February

Thanks to all who came out last month, the group did a brilliant job of topping up the woodchip on the footpaths! For this month’s work party they’ll be carrying on with some reedbed/fen cutting and raking in a wet section of the reserve (so wellies are a must!) and a couple of other jobs. As usual please meet Lucy at 9.30am at the Hadland Road entrance to Abbey Fishponds (OX14 3XW or orange arrow on Streetmap). Please park considerately as this is a residential area. If you intend to come along, please let Lucy know.

In other news

Wildlife Wednesday at Mowbray Fiends, 14th February

Half term is just around the corner so we've got a week of activities to keep the young ones busy! As always, Wildlife Wednesday will be out and about, this time at Mowbray Fields in Didcot (OX11 8SU). It's a brilliant event that invites families to come out and learn about the nature just on their doorstep. These sessions are always greatly helped by the assistance of volunteers, so whether you've done this with us before or it's all brand new and extra exciting, come along and have some fun! Drop us a line to find out more.

Weekly update, 23rd January

Happy Tuesday! I hope you're all well. This week we have a request from our resident shepherd for volunteers along with my weekly "have you signed up for Lambing yet?" call...!

Thursday and Friday groups will be out in full force this week so as always, read on for the details. I'll be joining Friday folk this week to get stuck in so do bear with the absolute beginner! Luckily, no experience is necessary to come along to any of our Conservation Groups, just enthusiasm, so for anyone that's been thinking about coming along, don't worry you won't be the only newbie this week :)

Once again a ginormous thank you to those of you that have said yes to Lambing in March. And to those that are thinking about it, give me a shout and join the fun! There, that's my weekly Lambing bit done...

Don't forget to let us know if you'd like to keep receiving this bulletin! It only takes a minute to fill in this quick form.

Have a great week,

Hannah

Volunteering Development Manager

Coming up this week...

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 25th January

This week the group will be carrying on where they left off, coppicing willow at Thrupp Lake, but with the addition of a bonfire! As usual the day will be from 10am-3pm(ish) and do bring wellies as there are areas which are now really wet underfoot, thanks to all that rain over the weekend! Please meet at the metal vehicle gate into Little Homes Field - accessed via Tuckwell’s yard (orange arrow on the streetmap link here) and let Lucy know if you plan to come along.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 26th January

The team will be heading back to the hedge near Paradise Wood this week to carry on with their stretch of hedgelaying. As always if you would like to take part please meet Adam outside the workshop just below the visitors car park at the Earth Trust Centre at 9am.

In other news

Assistant Shepherds Required!

As you may know, lambing season is nearly upon us! Emma Blomfield, our resident shepherd, is currently looking for one or two students/volunteers to help with her 350 flock of mostly Lleyn ewes. The first lambs are due mid-March but there are a later bunch lambing mid-April to May so it's going to be a very busy time! This is an ideal opportunity for students to learn and gain relevant work experience or for volunteers looking to add to their CV or knowledge base.

Hours can be flexible and part time to suit individual situations and Emma is happy to take on a beginner. There will be school groups and the general public visiting throughout the lambing season so you will need good people skills and be happy to comply with excellent health and safety.

Important: unfortunately we cannot take volunteers under the age of 16 for this role. This is most suited to students studying relevant college courses or other qualifications e.g. aiming towards veterinary studies/animal care.

If you'd like to find out more, just send me an email.

Weekly update, 16th January

How are we all? Splendid and dandy I hope. Thanks to all those who have already put their hands up for Lambing in March, you are my heroes! There's still plenty of room for more additions to the team so if you think you might be interested in helping out at our biggest event of the year, please let me know. 

This week marks the beginning of the campaign to make sure you still hear from us in May (if you would still like that to be the case!). Read on for more information, this one's really important...

Have a lovely week,

Hannah

Volunteering Development Manager

Coming up this week...

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 18th January

This week the group will be heading to Thrupp Lake to make a start on the biannual coppicing of the willow and silver birch compartments in one of the conservation areas. Don't forget your wellies as it's a bit wet underfoot! Meet at the metal vehicle gate into Little Homes Field, accessed via Tuckwell’s yard, at 10am; please let Lucy know if you can make it.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 19th January

The team will be heading into Little Wittenham Wood this Friday, carrying on from where Sunday Group left off on the annual coppicing around the woodland ponds. If you would like to join in please meet Adam outside the workshop just below the visitors car park at the Earth Trust Centre at 9am.

In other news

Would you like to keep hearing about volunteering? You need to tell us!

You may or may not be aware that there are new data protection regulations coming into play in May influencing how we communicate with our supporters. In a nutshell, you have greater control over what you hear about from your favourite charities so we need your explicit consent to send you anything. I would love it if all 500-odd of you lovely registered volunteers would like to continue to receive this bulletin but I need your permission to send it to you after May, so we're making sure that if you'd like to hear from us at all, you've told us. Those are the new rules! 

All you need to do to stay on the mailing list is head to this very quick form and make sure you say yes to the Volunteer Bulletin. There are also other opportunities to hear about all the exciting work done at the Earth Trust. Of course if you would prefer to no longer receive the emails you can always hit unsubscribe at the bottom at any time or tell us via the form.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. Thank you!

Good news for young volunteers!

We've had a lot of enquiries over the last year from young people who would like to join the conservation groups, a lot of whom are working towards their Duke of Edinburgh. You may remember us advertising for a volunteer role before Christmas to help us alleviate our problem of not having the capacity to welcome younger volunteers that would keep everyone safe and looked after. Well, we now have a lovely couple of volunteer leaders ready to come along to Sunday Group (second Sunday of the month)! This means that anyone from the age of 14 and up who would like to come and have a go at some conservation volunteering on a Sunday are most welcome to join. Hooray! Drop me a line if you know a young person who'd like to come along.

Weekly update, 9th January

Hope you're all doing well! The photo above is a snap of Thursday Group getting back to it last week, many thanks to all who came along. Sunday Group is back this weekend so if you fancy joining in, meet Adam at the workshop next to the Centre car park at 9am.

Have a lovely week,

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 4th January and Saturday Group, 6th January

The groups got stuck into working off all those mince pies by starting the annual cutting of the reedbed at Abbey Fishponds, as well as fen cutting and lots of raking - wellies were a must! The next sessions are 11th January for Thursday Group and 3rd February for Saturday Group.

Coming up...

Lambing!

That's right, before we know it Lambing 2018 will be upon us and you know what that means, a HUGE call to arms for as many volunteers as possible to lend a hand on what will be the busiest four days of our year! 

The dates are: 17th-18th March and 24th-25th March, from around 9am until 5pm.

We really do need as much help as possible over these weekends. We need volunteers across the entire site including on admissions, children's crafts and activities, Poem Tree Cafe and information points. We feed everyone a hearty lunch on these days to keep everyone going and keep you topped up with all the tea and coffee you can manage!

These are really great days and everyone is part of the team. It's a great one for meeting people, engaging with the public and getting stuck in with something maybe a little different from the usual.

Please do drop me a line if you are able to make any of the dates. At this stage I'm making lists so more info will get sent out as time goes on but it would be brilliant to start taking names so I can get some sleep between now and then! Everyone who came along last year was bloomin' brilliant and we'd love to have the same again this year. 

Weekly update, 3rd January

A very happy new year to you all! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a bit of down time to recharge the batteries. Now the tinsel is packed away, the chocolates are just about finished and Doctor Who is over for another few months, we're back to normal and the conservation groups are back too: Thursday, Friday and Saturday are all systems a go this week.

Have a lovely week,

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thurday Group (Abingdon), 21st December

For the last session before Christmas the team headed over to Thrupp Lake to do a few different tasks including bringing in the tern rafts, coppicing some willow and making a start on a willow screen where the bird hide used to be. The next session is 4th January.

Coming up...

Stick to that New Year's resolution!

If you're looking to burn off some of those Christmas calories without needing to sign up to a gym membership or fad diet then we highly recommend joining our conservation work parties - who needs that nonsense when you can get out onto our beautiful nature reserves instead?! We have regular sessions on Thursdays in Abingdon and Fridays in Little Wittenham, plus monthly meetings on the first Saturday in Abingdon and second Sunday in Little Wittenham. Get in touch to find out more.

Weekly udpate, 19th December

First off, a huge thank you to all who came along on Friday and enjoyed the festive cheer at the Volunteer Christmas Party! It was wonderful to see so many of you join in the celebrations. It really has been a truly spectacular year for volunteering at Earth Trust with around 210 of you giving your time which I think is rather astonishing! I've said it before and I'll say it again, so much of what happens at Earth Trust simply could not be achieved without our volunteers so a big thank you and here's to an even bigger 2018.

All that is left for me to say is have a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Enjoy Doctor Who (I know I will...!) and I'll see you in 2018! The office re-opens on Tuesday 2nd January.

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 14th December

The group were back at Abbey Fishponds last week to finish off the task of laying woodchip on the footpaths - an important job at this time of year. The next session (the last of the year) is on 21st December.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 15th December

Another staple of the winter work programme - the team were back coppicing in Paradise Wood for last week's session. It was the last session of the year as this Friday we're shutting up shop early for the festive period! The next Friday Group will be on 5th January.

Weekly update, 12th December

Hope you're all wrapped up warm and toasty! Thursday and Friday Groups are all systems go this week and with the temperature creeping over to a toasty 'above freezing' layers will as always be a good shout! Many hands have been making fantastic progress on the nature reserves over the last few weeks - we couldn't do it without you.

Looking forward to seeing you later in the week for some festive cheer at the volunteer Christmas party!

Have a splendid week,

Hannah

Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 7th December

Last week the group headed to Abbey Fishponds to continue with laying woodchip on the muddy footpaths, which was started by the Saturday team the previous week. The next session is 14th December.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 8th December

The group took a break from hedgelaying and were coppicing in Paradise Wood last week. The next session is 15th December.

Sunday Group (Little Wittenham), 10th December

The Sunday group were also coppicing hazel in the walnut trial plot of Paradise Wood this month, ensuring the walnut trees have room to grow. The next session is 14th January.

Weekly update, 5th December

Happy Tuesday all! Have we all started our advent calendars yet? There is lots going on at Earth Trust HQ with the launch of our new Friends Scheme! Read on for more details.

Don't forget to let me know if you're coming along to the volunteer christmas get together for a mince pie!

Have a fabulous week,

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 30th November

Last week the group were finishing off the task they started the previous week, clearing scrub from one of the conservation areas at Thrupp Lake. The next session is 7th December.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 1st December

It was more hedgelaying for the group this week. It's a really important task as it helps ensure the hedges stay healthy and in good condition for wildlife. The next session is 8th December.

Saturday Group (Abingdon), 2nd December

For this month's work party the group were laying woodchip on the muddy paths at Abbey Fishponds. Hopefully this will make the going a little easier over the winter. The next session is 6th January.

Coming up...

Friends scheme re-launched

We’re really excited to bring you news that last week Earth Trust re-launched our Friends scheme. Offering a new and rewarding set of member benefits, the new Earth Trust Friend scheme is another fantastic way to support Earth Trust and enable us to protect the greenspaces you love.

Along with our wonderful volunteers, our Friends are a vital part of the Earth Trust community, without whom, we simply cannot meet the huge task of caring for our amazing green spaces. With Christmas coming, why not make a Friend of a Friend and give an Earth Trust Friendship as a gift! From just £2 per month for an individual membership, you will receive greater insight into Earth Trust’s work and achievements with a brand new and exclusive member’s newsletter (available by print or email). Furthermore you will receive invitations throughout the year for a varied selection of wonderful events and walks available exclusively to Earth Trust Friends. Visit our Facebook shop to buy online or download a form from our website.

Weekly update, 28th November

Greetings all! Hope you're all wrapped up warm for the next few days! We've got a bumper week of conservation work groups with Saturday Group (Abbey Fishponds) in full swing this weekend (that came around quick!). We also have a brand new opportunity to become a Conservation Group Youth Leader so read on for all the info.

Don't forget to drop me a line if you're coming to the Volunteer Christmas Party. I'm making a shopping list and (checking it twice!) so come and join the festivities with a mince pie :)

Have a cosy week,

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 23rd November

After making a start clearing willow scrub in one of the conservation areas at Thrupp Lake in the previous session, last week the group carried on with this rather large task. Keeping this area open makes it great for waders in the winter and ground nesting birds in the spring/summer. The next session is 30th November.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 24th November

It was more hedgelaying for the team last week. This task will take up quite a bit of time over the winter! The next session is 1st December.

Coming up...

Wanted: Conservation Youth Group Leaders

We have a gap in our offering. Several times a week we are asked whether 14-16 year olds can come along to the conservation groups to volunteer, usually to build hours towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award. Lovely! We would love for that to happen but the problem is that our Wardens are already so busy running the day, they can't keep a watchful eye on young folk on top of that. That means that right now, if a young person wants to come along, they need to bring a parent/guardian with them, which understandably can put some people off. So we are looking for is individuals who would like to be that responsible person; it would mean we could accommodate these keen, independent young people who want to get stuck in with the conservation groups. We're looking to run this as a pilot on the weekend groups so either the first Saturday of the month in Abingdon or the second Sunday of the month (usually somewhere around Little Wittenham) depending on availability of interested parties.

This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to gain experience working with young people - maybe those looking at training to be a teacher or you might just fancy having a go at something different! Take a look at the role description and get in touch if you think this might be for you. (This role will require a DBS check).

Weekly update, 21st November

Okay I'm saying it... Christmas! It's my most favourite time of the year and of course this comes with the excellent excuse of having a good old get together... join us for some mince pies, mulled wine (I might even put together some mulled cider because it's delicious...) and festivities. Read on for more info!

Have a glorious week,

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 16th November

There was more willow clearing in the conservation areas behind Thrupp Lake last week. By clearing this area annually it remains a great area for feeding waders in the winter and ground nesting birds during the spring/summer. The next session is 23rd November.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 17th November

The team have now started on their winter hedgelaying work; they were working on a hedge line near Paradise Wood. There are miles and miles of hedgerow on the Earth Trust Farm and we rely on our volunteers to help keep them in good condition for wildlife. The next session is 24th November.

Coming up...

Christmas Party!

That's right it's the most wonderful time of the year and a chance for us to say thank you and for us all to get together, relax and let our hair down! We'll be having a festive volunteer celebration over in Fison Barn; there will be mince pies, nibbles and a drop of festive cheer but by all means, if you have a speciality Christmas dish it would be wonderful to add to the table for sharing (entirely optional of course). Don your best Christmas jumper and let's enjoy ourselves! Full details are in this week's Volunteer Bulletin and if you would like to join in the festivities, please do drop me a line so I can get an idea of numbers. Partners are more than welcome to join in too, the more the merrier!

 

Weekly update, 14th November

November is belting through at full speed isn't it?! We're loving the sea of autumnal colours in the trees at the moment, such a beautiful time of year.

As usual, there's plenty of things going on in the world of  the conservation groups so read on...

Have a fantastic week,

Hannah

Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 9th November

Work continued in the conservation areas at Thrupp Lake last week. There was more willow coppicing, scrub clearing and burning to be done. The next session is on 16th November.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 10th November

Last week the group were back on Paradise Wood to continue the winter coppicing work.  They were coppicing hazel within the walnut trial plot. The next session is 17th November.

Sunday Group (Little Wittenham), 12th November

For their monthly session the Sunday team were also coppicing hazel in the walnut trial plot in Paradise Wood - it's a big task! The next Sunday Group session is 10th December.

Weekly update, 7th November

Hope you're all well and enjoyed the double whammy of halloween and bonfire night festivities. Is it too soon to talk about the other big festivity coming up...? I can't wait! (If anyone has any amazing suggestions for my Earth Trust Christmas playlist then I'd love to hear them!)

Anyhow, there's lots coming up this week in the conservation groups and don't forget it's the beginning of the month so Sunday Group will be occuring this weekend; so far, the Met Office thinks it's going to be a bright and lovely day for it!

In other news, Earth Trust are running a Hedgelaying course on 18th-19th November and there are still spaces left. On the off-chance that any of you lovely folk might be interested, or know anyone who might like to try their hand at something new, you can find more information here.

Have a splendiferous week,
Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 2nd November

There was more willow management in the conservation areas for the team last week, including having a bonfire (a bit early for Guy Fawkes!). The next session is 9th November.

Friday Group, 3rd November

The group had a break from coppicing last week and headed over to Mowbray Fields in Didcot. There were a whole range of tasks that needed doing, including clearing scrub, coppicing willow, cutting and raking long vegetation, and tidying up with a bonfire. The next session is back in Little Wittenham on 10th November.

Saturday Group (Abingdon), 4th November

For the November work party the group were at Abbey Fishponds knocking back brambles and clearing tall vegetation that was encroaching along the footpath. The next session is 2nd December.

Coming up...

Trustees Week

Many people aren't aware that Trustees are volunteers too. We'll be profiling some of our fantasic board on social media next week as part of Trustees Week.

Weekly update, 31st October

Happy Halloween! I was looking for a bit of Halloween trivia to add in today's bulletin but instead found this joke far more amusing:

Q: What do you get if you divide the circumference of a jack-o’-lantern by its diameter?
A: Pumpkin π!

Moving on! We have lots coming up on the volunteering front, read on to see what's happening...

Have spooktacular week,

Hannah

Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 26th October

Last week the group were scything willow in one of the conservation areas at Thrupp Lake; this field floods in the winter and keeping it nice and open encourages more wading birds to visit. The next session is 2nd November.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 27th October

Coppicing, coppicing, coppicing! The group were back in Paradise Wood last week for more coppicing. They'll get a break from it next week though when they're off to Mowbray Fields in Didcot for a change! The next session is 3rd November.

Lending a hand

We had three new maintenance volunteer start with us last Wednesday, helping to keep the Earth Trust Centre in good condition - thanks guys!

Coming up...

Oxfordshire Art Weeks

Next May Earth Trust is going to be throwing open the doors to become an exciting new exhibition space for Oxfordshire Art Weeks! We are currently meeting artists and getting plans in place and would love to hear from you if you would like to be involved in a committee to make this an event to remember. Maybe you've had experience of Art Weeks or a similar art exhibition before? Perhaps you'd like to be part of the team to get this event off the ground and build a strong base for the future? Whether you have experience in this area or not, we'd love to hear from you! We're really excited for this one and would love to have some brilliant volunteers on board with us. To find out more, please drop us a line to the usual address.

Weekly update, 24th October

And just like that, we're nearly done with October! Hope you're all well. It's short and sweet from me this week, though we have lots going on with the Thursday and Friday Groups as usual. We're well into the autumn/winter work now and there's plenty more to get done!

The snap above is possibly my favourite 'in action' shot of Friday Group ever! Not a bad life eh...

Have a splendid week,

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 19th October

The group were at Thrupp Lake finishing off cutting back the vegetation on the circular walk, putting down some woodchip, fixing the bridge and starting on some coppicing. The next session is 26th October at Thrupp Lake.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 20th October

The coppicing continued in Paradise Wood this week. This woodland is a vitally important resource for researchers and this kind of work is crucial to keep it in good condition. The next session is 27th October.

Coming up...

Half term is happening!

Half term is well underway but we're still after extra pairs of hands if you can spare a few hours. Please get in touch if you can help with Wildlife Wednesday at Neptune Wood or Discover and Play (Friday 27th).

Weekly update, 17th October

It's officially coppicing season - hooray! There are some that would say this is the best part of the conservation calendar, where we get into serious lopping and chopping to manage our woodlands and enhance biodiversity. It's a good time to get stuck in with the groups if you haven't given it a go before and no prior knowledge is required, just bags of enthusiasm!

Never heard of coppicing before? The good old RHS gives a handy definition: "Coppicing is a pruning technique where a tree or shrub is cut to ground level, resulting in regeneration of new stems from the base." It's hugely important for our woodlands and we couldn't get this done without the help of you lovely volunteers. We provide all the tools and safety equipment so why not pack a lunch and come on down to try something new?

Have a super week,

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 12th October

The team were back at Abbey Fishponds carrying on cutting back encroaching vegetation along the long footpath and scything and raking in the fen. The next session is at Thrupp Lake on 19th October.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 13th October

After intending to be scrub clearing on Round Hill there was a last minute change of plans and the group were called upon to start coppicing in Paradise Wood. It's important to keep our research woodland in top condition. This was the last work party for our Land Management Apprentice George who has reached the end of his one year apprenticeship with us and is off to start his new job in the next few weeks! The next session is 20th October.

#EnviroLeaders

It's been great to have your support over the last couple of weeks - please keep liking, sharing and retweeting our #EnviroLeaders posts, it's really helping to spread the word and raise awareness (and funds!).

Coming up...

Half Term

The Engagement Team could really use some extra help for our upcoming half term activities:

• Mud Pie Mania, Tuesday 24th, 10am-11.30am 
• Wildlife Wednesday at Neptune Wood, Wednesday 25th, 2-4pm 
• Discover and Play, Friday 27th, 10am-12noon

These are super fun sessions supporting children and families enjoying the great outdoors and getting up close with nature! If you're a fan of fun then get in touch at the usual address.

Weekly update, 10th October

Hope you're all keeping well in this beautiful autumnal weather! A great big thanks to all who came out for the bumper four days of conservation groups last week, you got a huge amount done.

A huge thank you for getting involved with our Environmental Leadership campaign on social media; your likes and shares really help us increase our reach and they are much appreciated. This week we’re introducing some of the people who work with and support Earth Trust, so look out for a few familiar faces! If any of you are willing to be profiled on social media, please do get in touch as we’d love to hear from you.

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 5th October

The group were back at Abbey Fishponds to finish cutting the Daisy Bank area, add in a drainage channel along a small section of rather boggy footpath and make a start on the fen cut. Thursday group is back to its weekly occurrence now we're properly into the cooler season, so the next session is 12th October.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 6th October

The long task of clearing scrub on Castle Hill continued last week - great effort everybody! The next session is 13th October.

Saturday Group (Abingdon), 7th October

The team were joined by Abingdon Green Gym at Abbey Fishponds this month. The main task was cutting and raking the reed/sedge in the fen areas of the reserve. The next session is 4th November.

Sunday Group (Little Wittenham), 8th October

Yet more scrub clearing and burning on Castle Hill for the team this month! The next session is 12th November.

Coming up...

#EnviroLeaders

Please continue to support our Environmental Leadership Scheme! Next week we're going to be asking everyone to get involved by sharing why they're an Environmental Leader so please do post your own 'I am an Environmental Leader' photo and help raise awareness (and donations!).

Weekly update, 3rd October

Autumn has well and truly arrived and it's a busy old time... It's a bit of a bumper week for conservation groups next week - it's one of those funny months where the first Saturday and second Sunday of the month are in the same weekend so there's a double barrel of conservation goodness on the way! Plus it's the launch of our Environmental Leadership Scheme this week. 

Read on for all the latest news and have a fabulous week.

Hannah

Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 28th September

Last week, Adam and the group continued with the scything and raking of the grassland areas at Abbey Fishponds, focusing on Daisy Bank which runs through the centre of this enclosed little reserve. As we're moving into the autumn/winter work programme the team is going to be meeting every week, so the next session is 5th October.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 29th September

There was more scrub clearance on Castle Hill last week for George and the team, ensuring the ramparts keep looking like ramparts! Sturdy footwear was required as they are quite steep in parts. The next session is 6th October.

Autumn Water Festival, 1st October

A HUGE ginormous thank you to all of you who came and helped out on Sunday at the Autumn Water Festival. A lovely day was had by all and even the weather held out in the end so good work on the offerings to the sun gods folks! We really couldn't have done it without you! (I say that a lot but it's true...)

Coming up...

Environmental Leadership Scheme

Thanks for all your interest in this week’s launch of our Environmental Leadership Scheme. There’s lots happening on social media and our JustGiving page is now open for donations! We really hope you will support our work protecting important greenspaces and helping people connect to nature. 

It would be especially great if you lovely people would help us out with some 'micro-volunteering': by sharing, commenting and liking (or maybe even loving?!) our posts on Facebook, and retweeting on Twitter. It makes a huge difference to the numbers of people who can see our posts so please, if you do just one thing this week, help us expand our reach and share away!

You can also join in by posting a photo of yourself holding an 'I am an Environmental Leader' sign on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, using the hashtag #EnviroLeaders!
 

Weekly update, 26th September

We hope you're all well! Just five more sleeps until the Autumn Water Festival! Thanks to everyone who has been in touch to say they can lend a hand - your briefing will be on its way to you very soon.

In other news we have our Environmental Leadership Scheme officially launching next week so we thought we'd fill you in on what's planned so you can see how you can get involved. Read on for more info.

Enjoy the autumn sunshine and have a superb week!

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 22nd September

The scrub clearing continued on Castle Hill this week - it's a big job but really important to keep the Scheduled Ancient Monument in good condition. The next session is 29th September.

Coming up...

Environmental Leadership Launch

Next week Earth Trust will be launching our Environmental Leadership Scheme to the public. As Earth Trust volunteers, we think you are all Environmental Leaders: joining us in our mission to get people outdoors enjoying, experiencing and understanding nature. That’s what Earth Trust’s Environmental Leadership Scheme is all about, supporting the range of opportunities we provide for people of all ages to experience nature, and understand how they can play a proactive role in its protection and preservation.

We’ll be asking the public for their support and donations to help us continue our work and we would be immensely grateful if you could help get the word out amongst your friends and family. Please like, comment on and share our social media posts (look out for #EnviroLeaders), visit the webpage (launching later this week) and if you feel able to make a donation, we would be very grateful indeed to have your support.

Weekly update, 19th September

Good news from Community Reserves Warden Lucy this week: the memorial bench installed with the help of volunteers at Abbey Fishponds recently is already frequently being used by visitors - good work everyone!

Read on for our one big ask of the week... can you guess what it is?!

Have a great week,
Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Thursday Group (Abingdon), 14th September

For this session the team headed to Abbey Fishponds to work on the grassland areas. They used scythes to cut the grass before raking up.

Friday Group (Little Wittenham), 15th September

Scrub clearance continued on Castle Hill for another week. This is a long task but worth it to keep the Iron Age ramparts in good condition.

Coming up...

Water you doing on Sunday 1st October?

Can you believe it's just under two weeks till the Autumn Water Festival?! If you have Sunday 1st October going spare then we would love to have you on board helping out at this exciting day out. We're expecting double the number of visitors from the Summer Picnic so it's a big one! We'll need a small army of you brilliant lot to have fun with visitors and make it a day to remember. We'll need helping hands on children's craft and game activities, the running of the water rockets being launched across the Clumps, Poem Tree Cafe will be open for refreshments, admissions will need smiling faces to welcome visitors... there's something for everyone!

As with all our festival days, volunteers can expect to be part of a friendly and enthusiastic team. We'll feed you lunch on the day and keep everyone going with oodles of cups of tea and maybe even the odd biscuit. If you would like to be part of the fun, please drop me a line. We need you! If you have any preference to where you would like to be stationed do just let me know - we do our best to take that into account when getting the schedule sorted.

Weekly update, 12th September

A huge great big thank you to everyone who came and helped make the Earth Trust 10K a success. We really couldn't have done it without you! All the runners and entrants in the children's fancy dress race had a great time.

Have a great week everyone!

Hannah
Volunteering Development Manager

What the volunteers have been up to:

Friday Group and Sunday Group (Little Wittenham), 8th and 10th September

Last week the groups were clearing scrub on Castle Hill and tidying up by burning the cuttings. Clearing the vegetation helps conserve the Iron Age ramparts.

10K Run, 10th September

A team of volunteers helped ensure this year's Earth Trust 10K ran (no pun intended) smoothly! We had helpers registering the runners and volunteer marshals across the site. Thanks for giving up your Sunday morning guys!

Coming up...

Autumn Water Festival

There's still plenty of time to let us know if you're able to help out on Sunday 1st October! Activities this year will include water rockets, pond dipping, mini rafts and apple pressing.