Volunteering – Discover the New You this New Year!
By Marie Harvey, Communications Officer, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Countryside Trust
People and nature are at the heart of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Countryside Trust, an environmental, and health and wellbeing charity. Our aim is to support and enhance the wellbeing and resilience in landscapes, communities and people.
Based in Scotland's first National Park we work with a wide range of partners to deliver projects, encourage participation, and collaborate with others to address the biodiversity and climate emergencies, and to create more sustainable healthy and active communities, places and partnerships.
Volunteering for many is often the pathway to a vocational career working for charities like us, especially for those engaged in environmental work, nature conservation or health and wellbeing. Volunteering is also a great way to find out about the things you love or perhaps the things you don’t. It is also a chance to develop your skills, the opportunity to learn and research more about the field you are considering, but most of all a journey to discovering the ‘real you’!
It may not come as a surprise that most of our team either once began as volunteers or still volunteer in their spare time - doing the things we love, helping others and giving back to nature! But don’t just take our word for it, hear first hand from some of our team how volunteering has helped towards them achieving a rewarding and fulfilling career!
Fiona McGregor, Senior Health Walk Coordinator for our flagship programme ‘Walk in the Park’ shares her story:
“If you had told me 3 years ago that I would be leading one of Scotland’s best examples of a health walk programme I would never have believed you. I have always loved walking; from an early age I would pull on my boots or trainers and get outside and feel the benefits. I was originally working in a fast-paced job as an Insurance Underwriter but during Covid, working from home, I became stressed and very isolated. During this time walking became my time to connect with nature and myself and I was feeling great benefits to my overall wellbeing. 2 years ago, I saw an advert for a local health walk which I joined and after a couple of months walking with the group, I signed up to their volunteer programme. Loving my time volunteering, supporting, and encouraging others to be active in a safe and secure way and seeing the benefits felt through the connections with others, I was delighted when a job came up to join their team. Now ‘my’ role is developing skills, opportunities, and accreditation for other volunteers! It is very rewarding!”
Our Project Development Manager for Nature Restoration, Ellie Mayhew, also benefited from conservation volunteering prior to starting work in the sector:
“I always knew I wanted to work with wildlife, so from the age of 14 I partook in various volunteering opportunities. I started bird ringing for the British Trust for Ornithology aged 16, and got involved with species surveys, ecological monitoring work, habitat management, public engagement and citizen science – basically anything I could get my hands on! I tried to gain as much experience as I could through volunteering, including a 3-month placement with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust at Jersey Zoo, where I nearly let a Burmese python escape! Volunteering is not only a good way to gain work experience – it’s also a great way to try new things, connect with others who share your interests, and give back to nature or your community.”
If our team has inspired you, check out our range of volunteering opportunities for 2024 which might be just the challenge you're looking for to discover the ‘new you!”:
- Be part of the National Parks future woodlands - Get involved with our flagship nature restoration project, Wild Strathfillan, which is based in the north of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Help to collect and plant seeds, or lend a hand with habitat management, species surveys and more.
- Become a Volunteer Walk Leader – volunteers are key for us to support and deliver our Walk in the Park activities. We want our volunteers to feel a sense of achievement and motivated so as part of our volunteer investment we regularly review our training programme and pathway to create new roles. In response to volunteer feedback, climate emergency and our aims we developed new roles to include a Volunteer Mental Health Ambassador and a Volunteer Nature Ambassador. Training for these roles includes Samaritans: Listening Skills and Conversation with Vulnerable People courses and TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) Wild Ways Well Training.
‘The skills taught on the course helps us in our day to day to life’
We are so pleased to have been able to offer our volunteers a suite of training that has invested in them, allowing them to build skills, knowledge diversifying their roles whilst enabling them to support the needs of our participants. The impact of volunteering can be seen in all areas of volunteers lives from developing social and communication skills, building confidence, developing a greater sense of wellbeing to seek employment, and developing a sense of pride and connection to their local communities.
One of the volunteers who completed this training advised ‘the skills taught on the course helps us in our day to day to life’ another noted ‘Walk in the Park has helped my confidence greatly. It gives me the ability to go out and help people and makes me feel useful in the community’. - Becoming a Nature Ambassadors Walk Leader - coming soon – our new volunteer activity for our Walk in the Park Walk Leaders programme and part of our volunteering pathway. Volunteers undertake training, initially with TCV (The Conservation Volunteer) and then the opportunity to consolidate this learning with the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority Ranger Service. Based on the same premise as our In Step with Nature programme, our Nature Ambassadors will help others to take time to notice nature.
To find out more or have a chat about anything we have mentioned please drop us an email to info@trustinthepark.org or call us on 07784 240270. Alternatively visit our ‘Work with Us’ page on our website at www.trustinthepark.org to discover our volunteering opportunities on offer. We can’t wait to hear from you!
