Volunteering & Community
Volunteers are vital to our group and inject skills and enthusiasm to every area. We have a dedicated and skilled committee. Leaders and instructors also do a great deal voluntarily to support the group and project it forward.
Our Volunteer Co-ordinator is Jane Wilson. She organizes the programme and is the first point of call for anyone interested in joining us.
jane.prioryfarm@talktalk.net or 01458 446799
We are members of British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) and are covered by their insurance.
We welcome volunteers for all aspects of our work; helping on the management committee, manning a stall at an event ( we have had stalls at the Bath and West Show, Avalon Marshes Open Days, Green and Scything Fair, Ham Hill Fair, Wilderness Gathering, Pilton, Sunrise Off Grid, Langport Transition, Strode College) helping with woodland tasks and with the delivery of courses. Our group has also helped organize village litter picks as part of our wider environmental aims and we are linked in to local transition town movements.
We run regular ‘Volunteer Days’ to manage our woods and improve bio-diversity. These days are a chance to learn skills and enjoy being outside doing conservation and general woodland jobs. We welcome young and old (although children under 12 should be accompanied). Some of our youth volunteers help us as part of their Duke of Edinburgh awards. We have a Youth Volunteer representative.
We are also looking for help with fundraising and publicity. These roles could be done entirely from home and may suit a few people who could share the responsibilities. For the publicity role, you would need to liaise with newspapers, help us improve our flyers and web site etc. Jane has prepared a role description for anyone who is interested. The fundraising involves researching on the web and helping the committee and practitioners with applications.
As a group we run regular informal skills shares for members of our group and colleagues as well as training put on by our delivery team and external tutors. It is our policy as a non commercial, social enterprise to keep sessions affordable and widely accesible. Wherever possible we offer free or subsidized training to our volunteers.
Volunteers interested in becoming forest school leaders are welcome to help on sessions subject to leader approval. However anyone who visits or helps on sessions attended by children will work under supervision and are obliged to follow our Child Protection Policy. They are also expected to provide referees and have a CRB check in place.
Most events for volunteers are advertised in our calendar but it is worth calling Jane for more information and to check on availlability of extra sessions.
Do come and join our friendly group!
