Volunteering
Volunteering
The Reserve relies entirely on voluntary help and welcomes anyone from 18 years of age to join in with the many aspects of work required in its day-to-day management.
Habitat maintenance and project work is carried out every Monday and Friday whilst Visitor Centre volunteers are required every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. In addition help is always welcome on a Tuesday and Thursday during the summer months when the Reserve is given over to visiting school groups on educational visits. Evening visits are also encouraged for uniformed organisations and assistance with these visiting groups is always welcome.
Volunteering in the Visitor Centre
Can you help with serving tea and coffee and dealing with sales from our shop? The Centre can be quite busy particularly on warm summer weekends and volunteers are required to work as a team to serve our visitors.
Work Volunteers
Spring and Summer seasons tend to concentrate on general maintenance and repair work including grass maintenance and meadow management. In addition at this time of year Himalayan Balsam has to be controlled to minimise the spread of this species. Autumn and Winter is the busiest period of the year for work volunteers with coppicing, hedge building, reed cutting and ditch clearance. Project work is also carried out during this time to avoid disturbance to the wildlife during the summer months.
If you are interested come and give it a go and, where necessary, appropriate training will be provided.
Education Volunteers
Education Volunteers look after our educational visits most of which are from 5 to 11 year olds from Primary Schools, Scouts and Brownies etc.
You don’t have to be an expert naturalist or a teacher, but if you have a knowledge of natural history and an enthusiasm to share it with our young visitors you can make a real contribution to our young people and to Rodley Nature Reserve.
Pond Dipping Supervision
Could you help children safely enjoy pond dipping in our dipping ponds? Volunteers are needed on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the summer months.
Can You Help?
If you feel you are able to help Rodley Nature Reserve by volunteering your time for just a few hours, please complete the form and we will be in touch.