Event Helper (Community Engagement Volunteer - Landscape Recovery)

About the project The Lincolnshire Wash Landscape Recovery Project is a DEFRA funded project on the edge of the Wash in Lincolnshire, England. Our partnership - the RSPB, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, HMP North Sea Camp, and a local arable farmers - are developing a plan to support nature's recovery across over 1800ha of land.

What will you be doing? • Alongside the Community Engagement Officer, you’ll conduct surveys in Boston, RSPB Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore. You’ll be approaching members of the public to initiate a conversation about their experiences of nature (a questionnaire and prompts will be available for you to use as a script) Recording their thoughts and feelings about access, barriers, and benefits to green spaces. To encourage more people to complete the questionnaire, there will be a small nature-based craft activity, so your assistance may be required to help people engage people with this activity. Understanding more about how the community would like to experience green spaces and the barriers they face will be crucial in informing the direction of the Landscape Recovery Project.

• Help to organise and assist with community workshops and taster/open days in the local area and at RSPB Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore.

• Attend community nature events in the Boston area alongside the Community Engagement Officer. This may involve some light practical work such as helping to build a bug hotel or planting wildflowers in a community area, together with other organisations.

• Approaching local venues such as libraries, community hubs, and leisure centres with requests to display posters and host pop-up surveys (with the help of the Community Engagement Officer).

• Reaching out and making connections with local community groups (gardening groups, walking groups, language groups), colleges, learning centres, and voluntary centres.

What's in it for you? • You will be part of developing a plan for large-scale nature recovery that could have an impact on generations to come and make a huge difference for the area. You will be the voice of the community, making sure their opinions, thoughts, and feelings on nature spaces are heard and incorporated into the project.

• This is a fantastic opportunity to get to know other members of your community, create new networks, and have shared experiences.

• By sharing your passion and experiences of nature with the local community, you’ll be making an impact on people’s wellbeing, and changing perceptions of nature spaces so that all members of the community feel encouraged to engage with nature.

• You’ll be making a big difference in the local community by connecting people to nature, and increasing awareness and understanding of local wildlife, green spaces, and the benefits of The Wash. Passing on that information to all generations.
This is a temporary opportunity. The role can be done flexibly, working around your other commitments. There will be some set events we will need help with, but these dates will be given to you at the earliest opportunity.

The skills you need • You need to be a good people person, i.e., engaging, approachable, and friendly

• Proactive and willing to approach members of the public to ask nature-based questions

• Enthusiasm and passion for wildlife and nature

• Knowledge of the local area and basic knowledge of local wildlife is preferable