Luci Ridout, our Charity Events Administrator recently took part in a project at Ham Hill CountryPark just outside Yeovil. She gives us an idea of her experience below.
Way back in December, I took part in a day’s project work at Ham Hill Country Park. It’s a monthly project aiming to clear areas of scrub land with the Park.
The project is run by BTCV (www.btcv.org.uk), a charity set up in 1959 with a background in environmental conservation through volunteer work.
I chose to volunteer at Ham Hill Country Park as it’s a place that our family frequently visit and I wanted to give something back, as the old cliché goes!
The morning of my volunteering day started with an almighty hailstorm as I sat in my cosy conservatory eating breakfast, wondering what the day held in store for me. To be quite honest I wasn’t relishing the thought of spending a winter’s day in the great outdoors if the weather was going to continue like this! But thankfully as I donned my working clothes and set off for the Hill the weather broke.
After meeting up with the project co-ordinator and filling in the relevant health and safety forms I met the rest of the group.
I was surprised to learn that far from the team of retired folk looking for a way to keep fit that I was expecting, the group was comprised of people from wide ranging backgrounds; from college students with a free day on their hands to the long term unemployed trying to make good their situation and add experience to their CV. What t a fantastic way to give back to society, and at the same time get out of the house and keep fit!
We spent our day at Ham Hill clearing an area of scrub that will eventually be grazed by sheep in an effort to stop the tenacious brambles from making a reappearance.
The project coordinator was great at showing us how all the equipment worked and techniques for getting the most done in a short amount of time. By the end of the day we had made a visible difference to the landscape which will clearly be beneficial to the area for a long time to come. A great sense of achievement was felt by all and the rain stayed off all day. Result!.
If you would like more information about volunteering through BTCV, please see their website: www.btcv.org.uk
