Celebrating volunteers: Volunteers Week 2021

Volunteers are the lifeblood and the backbone of Earth Trust, helping to champion for better access to wildlife-rich green spaces. So, this Volunteers’ Week we’re celebrating what our volunteers do every week of the year for all of us.

This one week-long celebration when we say thank you to Earth Trust volunteers for all their support over the last year has never felt so important. While no one could have predicted what has unfolded throughout the many months of Covid-19, our community of volunteers has shown great patience while we worked out Covid-safe processes, adapting with a smile to the ever changing circumstances.

It’s been such a difficult year for everyone, but I’ve been taken aback by the loyalty, humour, messages of support and acts of kindness throughout. Thank you for your innovative thinking and creativity as you’ve come up with new ways to support us: working remotely, lone-volunteering, and sharing stories and photographs. Your support for staff and other volunteers has meant a great deal at difficult moments – thank you.

I also need to say a special thank you to our Community Warden Volunteers – one role that has been able to continue throughout the pandemic! They have continuously responded to the growing numbers of people accessing our green spaces and picked up increasing amounts of litter and debris. A huge, unfaltering thank you.

It feels like the horizon may now be in sight. With hope and excitement we are welcoming back volunteers, and it couldn’t be better timing – there’s so much to get involved with over the next few months. On top of just getting back to “normal”, Earth Lab and the Innovation Hub are nearly ready, and so we’re introducing new volunteering roles that will make such a difference. River of Life’s creation of new wetlands means there is plenty to do there too, from collecting and analysing data to engaging people in the stories that we will tell. Those taking part in land management tasks will see the transformation of the woodland wildlife habitats, and as usual we will have lots of trees to plant!

We will be sharing these new roles over the coming week, including some within Environmental Education, our new Walks, Talks and Tours roles, and Community Ambassadors who will be supporting our fundraising efforts. Please keep an eye out on our social media channels and website for more information.

I am personally so looking forward to welcoming our volunteers back to Earth Trust over the next few months – it really hasn’t been the same without you!

Jayne

Jayne Manley
CEO, Earth Trust

Jayne and volunteers receiving the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service on behalf of Earth Trust in 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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