Practical Reserve Work (Work party volunteer - Gloucestershire Reserves)

We are looking for work party volunteers to join us on our reserves Nagshead and Highnam Woods in Gloucestershire. RSPB nature reserves are special places for people and wildlife and we rely on volunteers to keeps these habitats thriving and in good shape.

We are a small team working on two mature woodland RSPB reserves; Nagshead is situated in the heart of the Forest of Dean and Highnam Woods is in the Severn Vale on the outskirts of Gloucester. Despite both being woodland sites, the reserves are very different, and we manage them accordingly to benefit our key wildlife species.

As a Reserve Work Party Volunteer you will be joining a regular practical work party team to undertake practical habitat management tasks:

• Cutting and clearing vegetation.
• Coppicing and brash clearance.
• Bracken cutting.
• Creating and maintaining visitor infrastructure, such as paths and benches.
• Following annual work plans.
• Following Health and Safety protocols.

If you enjoy being outdoors, meeting new people and hands on conservation work, then this role could be the perfect opportunity for you. This role does involve a reasonable amount of physical activity, so will enable you to keep your fitness levels high, as well as helping your mental health and wellbeing. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are making a genuine contribution to nature conservation, and you might find it rewarding to safeguard nature in the area you are working to protect.

We are a friendly and supportive team. If you are volunteering to learn new skills and gain knowledge about wildlife conservation work, you will find that our team will be more than happy to help you on that journey.

Our work parties take place every Wednesday from 10am - 3pm from October to March, alternating between Nagshead and Highnam Woods. We also run occasional Wednesdays throughout the summer to tackle bracken cutting and other reserve maintenance work.