OK, we might not be painting the town (or wood) red, but tonight is one of our regular "thank you" events for the volunteer team here. The RSPB really does depend a lot on the support of our wonderful volunteers, who get involved in all sorts of ways. Because the site here isn't owned by us, outr team is maybe smaller than others as we don't have any practical land work to be done. But those we do have are exceedingly useful. Most of their time is spent chatting to members of the public, making sure they are having a good time. Some of the roles we have here are:

  • Guide in the Hide, in the wildlife hide providing a friendly welcome to what otherwise might be an intimidating place. We don't go in for the hushed funeral parlour atmosphere, we like our hide to be a jolly place
  • Outreach, going out and bout to other people's events such as fetes, steam rallys, country fairs and the like. We take a marquee and chat to everyone we meet about the wonderful work of the RSPB
  • Community Talks, travelling around the local area to give talks to all sorts of groups, from schools to retirement homes.
  • Shop Assistant, serving in the shop, and being a smiley happy face to welcome people
  • On-site Events, from leading bug hunts to guiding walks around the site. We are proud of being here, and we'd like to show if off to more people.
  • Gardener, looking after the wildlife garden behind the shop and cafe

So if you'd like to join the happy friendly team here, just drop the centre a message on 01780 444691 or email toplodge@rspb.org.uk