NEW FOREST NATIONAL PARK VOLUNTEER GUIDE 2017 CHANGE YOUR LIFE THIS YEAR! Packed full of volunteering opportunities from dozens of organisations in the New Forest. Welcome to the New Forest National Park Volunteer Guide 2017 This guide offers you dozens of ways to get involved with volunteering in the New Forest, to change your life and the lives of others. No matter who you are or where you live, there will be a role perfect for you. All you need is some time and energy, and a passion for the Forest’s history, environment or people. Volunteering is a great way to meet people, learn new skills and help keep the New Forest special. Helping others in your community, surveying wildlife, meeting visitors and researching the past are just some of the opportunities in this guide. We hope you enjoy volunteering in the Forest, and thank you for your interest in helping to protect this unique area! Above: Pondhead Conservation Trust volunteers Blackwater Conservation Group Organisations offering Established in 2013, the aims of the group are to facilitate and co- ordinate the work of conservation and volunteer opportunities environmental protection along the River Blackwater and its tributaries and thereby benefit the landscape and Here is a list of organisations from the 2017 Volunteer ecology of the Blackwater Valley for Fair who have roles available throughout the year. future generations. Volunteers have the opportunity to monitor the quality Volunteering to pull There is more information on volunteering in the New of the river water and assess the health Himalayan balsam gives me a Forest on our website: of the river by catching and counting great day out somewhere in the the various species of invertebrates. countryside, with the location www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/volunteering A considerable amount of time is also constantly changing. Not only spent removing the invasive non- do you meet new people, the native plant Himalayan balsam. Any challenge of the task has its volunteers willing to help with any of these tasks will be very welcome. reward at the end of the day when you can see the result of 01794 390558 our efforts. [email protected] www.blackwaterconservationgroup. Patsy Baverstock, wordpress.com Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Brendoncare Foundation Brendoncare runs seven clubs across the New Forest area, providing older Community First New Forest people in the community with a variety The New Forest Volunteer Centre, of activities and opportunities for fun run by Community First New Forest, and friendship. There are traditional promotes and supports volunteering. social clubs with a varied programme of It recruits potential volunteers entertainment and occasional outings. from all sections of the community There are also more active clubs and places them with voluntary including fitness sessions in a leisure organisations looking for volunteers centre and our hugely successful Indoor to assist them with their work. The Kurling clubs. The clubs run during the Centre also offers advice, information week and at weekends. They are run and training to groups using or by small teams of volunteers and we considering using volunteers. We also are often looking for people to join promote the work of organisations these teams. Contact us for details of in the New Forest and their ever our current volunteering opportunities. increasing need for more volunteers. 01962 857099 01425 482773 [email protected] [email protected] www.brendoncare.org.uk www.cfnf.org.uk Left: Volunteers learning to lay a hedge near Linwood Friends of Lepe Country Park Friends of the New Forest The Friends of Lepe was set up to Airfields (FONFA) promote community involvement Our new museum and education and enjoyment of the country park. centre (postcode: BH23 8AU) provides The group keeps people informed an education and research facility about what is going on at Lepe via a for schools, researchers and anyone quarterly newsletter and supports the interested in New Forest aviation park staff by providing volunteers. history. It contains photographs, pilots’ The Friends also run walks, talks and stories, aircraft models and prints, social events for the membership. artefacts, and detailed information We are looking for volunteers to: about the 12 World War II airfields and record wildlife sightings such as the World War I East Boldre airfield. birds, sea shore life and butterflies Our outreach programme provides man the reception desk at weekends and some holiday periods expert speakers about the airfields and associated topics to schools and Above: Lepe Country Park help with events interested groups. In addition, we get involved with the hold commemorative events at our Exbury Gardens Forestry Commission Friends committee. New Forest Airfields Memorial at Holmsley South (postcode: BH23 8EB). Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway The Forestry Commission manages If you would like to become an active is a spectacular 200 acre garden set the public forest estate in the part of your local country park we 01794 322535 in the New Forest. The gardens offer New Forest. We have two main would love to hear from you. [email protected] woodland walks and world famous volunteering opportunities: 023 8089 9108 www.fonfasite.wordpress.com/ displays of rhododendrons, azaleas Volunteer Rangers play an integral [email protected] and camellias along with a large role in helping to conserve wildlife www.hants.gov.uk/lepe collection of rare specimen trees. and habitats while enhancing visitor Girlguiding Foxlease enjoyment. Tasks include leading and Foxlease is a 65 acre estate with a vast We have a variety of volunteering helping with events, assisting visitors array of opportunities to come along opportunities available working in the New Forest and providing and volunteer! We are a training, alongside our gardens team. If you valuable support to our rangers activity and events centre working enjoy getting your hands dirty and and keepers. with corporate groups, charities, learning new skills and would like By joining our Two Trees schools and members of the Guide to contribute to the upkeep and Conservation Team, you'll learn Association throughout the year. This conservation of this unique garden about the management of our includes small and large scale events, why not come and join our team? forests, experience the outdoors in gardening, conservation projects, 023 8089 1203 a group activity, meet like-minded weddings, building or maintenance [email protected] people and make a real difference to projects. Whatever takes your fancy www.exbury.co.uk the area that you'll be helping there will be something for you. If you to maintain. are interested please do get in touch! So if you enjoy the outdoors, want 023 8028 2638 to learn new skills, meet new people [email protected] and want to be part of the Forestry www.foxlease.org.uk Commission team, get involved today! 0300 067 4601 [email protected] Above: The Forestry Commission offers exciting www.forestry.gov.uk/newforest outdoor volunteering roles Hampshire Conservation Hampshire and Isle of Wight Volunteers (HCV) Air Ambulance We are out most weekends conducting Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air practical conservation tasks, working Ambulance provides an air ambulance on a wide variety of sites which are service to the people of Hampshire valuable for wildlife. In the spring and and the Isle of Wight. Since our launch summer our tasks often involve the in July 2007 we have flown many construction of paths, boardwalks and thousands of missions, many of these fences. Autumn and winter months see life-saving. The charity relies entirely the management of woodlands and on donations and support from the downland by coppicing, hedgelaying people and businesses in the region. and scrub-bashing, usually with We are looking for new members a roaring bonfire. No experience of our volunteering team to help Above: New Forest Volunteer Fair 2016 Above: Jenny Wedick clearing a stream for the necessary, training will be given. us raise the £9,000 a day needed to Hampshire Conservation Volunteers keep HIOWAA bringing the hospital [email protected] environment to those who need it. www.hcv.org.uk hArt - Hampshire Art for Recreation 023 8033 3377 and Therapy [email protected] hArt provides creative therapeutic Hampshire County Council www.hiowaa.org opportunities to support mental health. - Access Team Hampshire County Council’s Southern Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife We work with people of all ages Access Team is responsible for the and abilities, either in tailor-made protection and maintenance of the Trust – New Forest Non-Native programmes or group drop-in sessions. rights of way network. This provides Plants Project We can also provide one-to-one help. the public with a range of ways to The New Forest Non-Native Plants We know that working with the creative access and enjoy the area’s diverse Project is hosted by Hampshire & Isle arts improves health and wellbeing, countryside, from horse riding or of Wight Wildlife Trust and welcomes whether indoors or outdoors, and has cycling in the New Forest to walking volunteers to help pull up Himalayan enormous benefits for participants. along the coast or across the downs balsam which has invaded river banks in around the Dorset and Wiltshire the New Forest area. Himalayan balsam Volunteers are needed to support us in border. We offer a range of ways has short roots and is easy to pull up delivering workshops and programmes, for volunteers to become involved, so if you enjoy being outside and have but we are also looking for secretarial with tasks including path surveying a bit of time to spare in the summer, and administrative assistance as well with local walking groups through why not join our friendly volunteer as fundraising.