Volunteers

Brian's Coquettish Volunteering Blog

2013-06-17T11:29:00Z

Ever wondered what it would be like to volunteer on a beautiful remote island? In the first of our two part spotlight on Coquet Island, Brian McCullen blogs about leaving Brighton behind, dealing with complete isolation, challenging himself, Terns and Puffins and living a more simplistic way of life. Week two to follow next week . . . THE COQUET EXPERIENCE DAY 1 --- THE JOURNEY A BIG thank you to my lovely friends for taking me to the coach station. 05:30hrs and Brighton alive with youngsters...(read more)

A huge big thank you to all our Volunteers

2013-06-04T09:30:00Z

This week is National Volunteers' Week 2013 Volunteers’ Week is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution millions of volunteers make across the UK – and it’s taking place from the 1-7 June 2013. Every year, over 20 million people across England and the UK volunteer, donating more than 100 million hours to their communities every week. It has been estimated that the economic value of this activity is worth in excess of £40 billion to our economy. For...(read more)

A volunteer’s tale! - at Titchwell's Cafe

2013-05-23T15:34:00Z

A volunteer’s tale! My name is Rosie, and for some years I’ve been one of Titchwell’s volunteers. Titchwell Reserve which is the toast Of Birders to the Norfolk coast. So visit us, do come and see us ladies in the servery. We’re all a very friendly bunch, Sit down, relax, enjoy your lunch, or Tea; a scone (homemade) with jam and cream. But maybe not a dieter’s dream! Our customers, a smashing crew, some days a flood, some days...(read more)

Volunteering on RSPB Reserve Cafes - THE exciting place to volunteer if you love good food and Nature!

2013-05-01T08:53:00Z

Don't fancy volunteering outdoors? There are plenty of roles for volunteers to help out in RSPB reserve cafes. We have reserves throughout the UK and we are always in need of extra help… in roles that you might not immediately associate with volunteering for the RSPB! There is always a need for bird experts or complete novices, for people looking to enhance their CVs and for people with a little bit of time on their hands. So, whatever your age and experience, there is a role for you...(read more)

Fundraise for wildlife – Can you help us pin it up?

2013-04-19T12:55:00Z

We have many volunteers involved in the RSPB’s pin badge scheme who make sure that all our badges are displayed in shops all around the UK. So it’s no surprise that the public are coming across the badges and wanting to use them for parties, schools, weddings and funerals. This is great news as we are more likely to receive the full £1 suggested donation on these requests. We have now had nearly 100 wedding favour orders in the past two years and all of these have been put together...(read more)

Fundraise for wildlife – with events become one of our team!

2013-04-10T18:20:00Z

If you would like to be part of our local volunteer fundraising teams, we have activities that you can do all year round, or for just two hours once a year. If you'd like to go one step further and get your adrenaline rush while fundraising for us, how about a bungee jump, skydiving, or abseiling? Pulse-quickening activities are great ways to raise awareness of nature and our work - and great ways to raise sponsorship funds. If you've got the nerve to do it, we can give you all the...(read more)

Fundraise for wildlife – how you can help!

2013-03-28T17:14:00Z

Every year, the fantastic energy and enthusiasm of supporters like you help us raise over £1.5m of donations to help nature and wildlife. Whether you'd like to fundraise alone, with friends or with colleagues, or whether you're a teacher or business owner, we can offer a host of fundraising ideas and activities. Some fundraisers have done physical activities like running a marathon or swimming the channel. If you want to follow in their footsteps and you have your own place then...(read more)

Find out what inspires people to volunteer as youth leaders .... the feel good factor

2013-03-14T11:26:00Z

In my last blog we told you about what our children get out of their involvement with the RSPB and our youth groups. This time we asked our volunteers ‘what inspired you to become a youth leader?” Read on to find out what they had to say ..... If our volunteers make you feel inspired yourself then please visit our volunteering pages and check out our current vacancies www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering . If you have volunteered with children please do leave some comments and share with...(read more)

What do children get out of a Wildlife Explorer or Phoenix Group?

2013-03-01T11:00:00Z

Children and young people are inherently curious about the world around them, and for many that includes nature. That interest is fanned by experience, the more direct and frequent the better. As children become progressively more urban and biodiversity becomes more restricted to protected areas, children’s opportunities to experience, understand and care for nature become ever more limited. Children today are only allowed to roam 50m from their home, compared with 800m 20 years ago, so will...(read more)

Date with Nature – St Albans Herons 2013

2013-02-27T14:40:00Z

We have a guest blog this week from Carol Waller, one of our Date with Nature volunteers, last week she volunteered for the first time at a Date With Nature event in Verulamium Park, St Albans; “My role involved talking to visitors about the herons in the park and helping them use our telescopes. The first pair of herons nested in the park in 1990 and since then numbers have gradually increased. Fortunately the birds do not seem to be unduly disturbed by the presence of humans. Located in...(read more)

Volunteers, an essential element of Date with Nature

2013-02-01T01:00:00Z

Love is in the air! What would be your ideal date with nature? Dates with Nature are a great opportunity for the RSPB to connect people with nature, where they live, work and play. From glimpses of basking sharks in Cornwall to puffins on Shetland there are events across the whole of the UK. The ever-popular birds of prey events have been joined by water voles, badgers, bats, seals and, soon, dolphins helping introduce the public to a wide selection of nature. Most Dates with Nature still feature...(read more)

What's your new year's resolution?

2013-01-04T10:04:57Z

Andy Hay (rspb-images.com) What's your new year's resolution? By the time the last few Brussels have been eaten and we can’t stand the site of another mince pie, I am already struggling with my inner willpower to stick to my chosen promises for the new year (again!). So this time round I’m picking things that will move me towards my goals in bite sized chunks, don’t take longer than 5 minutes and won’t take willpower of planetary proportions to help me achieve them...(read more)

Are you thinking about a reserve based career in conservation?

2012-12-04T09:45:00Z

So you want to get involved but don’t have the experience? Well look no further volunteer internships are the solution! There are practical placements and placements involving our visitor and education work. 99% of previous Residential Volunteer Interns have gone to employment in the conservation sector; with the RSPB or another conservation organisation. All our volunteering internships have a built in training programme with career coaching. One year long Residential Volunteer Internships...(read more)

Calling All Champions

2012-11-01T11:39:00Z

Its been just over a year since the RSPB launched its Campaign Champions programme, which aims to mobilise people to step up, campaign and take action for wildlife. In this time over 200 people in over 130 constituencies have registered as campaigners to help support and protect the wildlife they love. Campaigning is at the hear of the RSPB and it really does make a difference. It’s something we’ve been doing since 1889, when Emily Williamson started campaigning to ban the barbaric...(read more)

Pagham Blog - Father, visitor, volunteer, co-ordinator. Why does Roger love Pagham?

2012-10-18T09:51:23Z

Falling in love with Pagham by volunteer co-ordinator Roger Johnson I’m not sure when I first fell in love with Pagham Harbour but it was certainly more than 20 years ago when I was bringing up my then young son as a single parent. Although very much a townie, I’ve always loved the countryside and I was keen to give Dan the chance to share my enthusiasm. We became regular visitors both at weekends and during the school holidays. Gradually as he grew older, he developed other interests...(read more)