Site Checks and Maintenance Volunteer (Pony Checker)

We need Pony Checker Volunteers to keep an eye on our ponies on our Labrador Bay nature reserve. This role is about working as part of a team to ensure the health of our winter-lease Dartmoor ponies and spotting any issues before they become a problem.

Labrador Bay is managed for the red-listed cirl bunting, which likes a mixed-farming landscape of barley crops (for winter seeds), healthy species-rich grassland (for spring and summer invertebrates) and thick, natural hedges and scrub for breeding. We have a small number of Dartmoor ponies come spend the winter months with us to help keep scrub such as gorse, bracken and young trees under control on some of our steeper terrain. By finding a practical use for Dartmoor ponies on our nature reserve we are also contributing to secure the future of the native Dartmoor pony breed.

Essentially, we like to have volunteers out on the reserve every day of the week, and this is essential when we have livestock present as they need to be checked daily. We are looking for people who can help us out by taking on a regular shift walking the reserve, checking the ponies and potentially undertaking a selection of small tasks. (For example, checking boundary fencing.)

This role can include the following:

Talking to members of the public about the reserve and the wildlife they might see. Checking paths, fences and benches and reporting any issues. Litter picking. Checking livestock. Reporting inappropriate behaviour. Checking/replacing signage. Reporting back to the site team. Training and support will be provided but for this role the following are essential:

Excellent attention to detail Good 'people skills', including diplomacy Problem solving skills This is a really rewarding role. You will enjoy doing your role in a beautiful wildlife rich setting, the great outdoors will be your place of work and you will be able to take it at your own pace. By talking to visitors as you go along, you'll have the pleasure of helping people learn more about the reserve and the work of the RSPB, or just be a familiar friendly face to our regulars.

You will be making a genuine contribution to nature conservation, and you might find it rewarding to safeguard nature in the area you are working to protect. This role will involve a reasonable amount of physical activity, so it will enable you to keep your fitness levels high.