Practical Reserve Work (Practical Reserve Work (Ouse Fen))

Ouse Fen covers an area of almost 400 hectares of reedbed, grassland and open water, all former sand and gravel extraction pits, in the valley of the River Great Ouse. Much of the habitat and estate management work which takes place is only possible with the continued support of our band of dedicated volunteers. Come rain or shine they are always ready to pick up tools and get stuck in, no matter what the job. Their help is greatly appreciated and invaluable to our work of maintaining and enhancing this unique nature reserve for both wildlife and people... But we could always do with more!

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 in all reserve habitats.
• Maintaining and managing tools and equipment.
• Creating and maintaining visitor infrastructure, such as paths and benches.
• Following annual work plans.
• Following Health and Safety protocols.

Taking part in regular work parties at Ouse Fen is a great way of meeting people and helping us to achieve our goal of conserving nature and making it accessible to the public. If you are interested in pursuing a career in conservation it is also a great way of learning new skills, looks great on a CV and will give you insight into how the country’s largest nature conservation charity works.

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.