The volunteers making an impact in their community

The volunteers making an impact in their community

15/10/19

Team members from across our 11 UK forest locations have been getting involved in charity projects and community initiatives close to their heart. 

Over 600 team members have been given time away from their day jobs to volunteer for a day and provide hands on support to schemes aligned to our core purpose, which is based on a responsibility to enhance Britain's woodlands for the long term, support local communities and encourage more people to connect with and understand nature.

Since launching the programme earlier this year, team members from across the UK have got behind the programme and are already starting to make a difference. With a shared passion to protect the natural beauty of the National Park, the team at Beddgelert volunteered their time to support conservation charity, The Snowdonia Society and their Make a Difference (MaD) weekend, to ensure that Snowdonia and its special qualities are well-protected, well-managed and enjoyed by all.

Working together as a community, the volunteers took part in a broad spectrum of activities ranging from litter picking from a canoe on Lake Padarn, to recording ancient tree species and our Forest Ranger, Sara, also ran a Mini Forest Rangers morning for families taking part in the weekend.

The event gave the team the opportunity to get involved in plenty of practical conservation activities too, such as seed gathering and preparation, ground and conifer clearance, bird and bat box making, footpath maintenance and much more. The team can’t wait to get involved again next year!

Our Deerpark location in Cornwall have supported FLEET (Front Line Emergency Equipment Trust) for the past four years, raising much needed funds for the charity. The location has so far raised over £40,000 and they are always looking for new challenges to raise awareness. This year the team put their volunteering hours towards completing a gruelling 22-mile cycle around North Cornwall for the charity's annual bike ride raising hundreds of pounds along the way.  

The team of six set off from Wadebridge on the scenic route through Cornwall and were later joined by junior members, Cammie and Jacob, for the last five miles of the journey before receiving their medals and certificates at the Molesworth Arms in Wadebridge.

Alongside FLEET’s General Manager Norman Trebillcock, Deerpark's General Manager Stuart Moir drew the annual raffle with 10 lucky winners receiving prizes including a week stay at Deerpark and free entry to the Eden Project to name a few. The team's cycle challenge and the charity's annual raffle exceeded their target, raising over £4,000 towards lifesaving equipment for the charity.