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RSPB volunteers set a new record as they hit a million hours for nature

3 January 2012

Gemma Hogg
Media Officer
E-mail: gemma.hogg@rspb.org.uk

Despite recent government figures* showing the number of people volunteering formally at least once a year had fallen to its lowest level for 10 years, the RSPB is today announcing its best-ever year having reached the one million hours mark for the same period**.

For the first time ever the charity’s 17,609 volunteers donated one million hours between April 2010 and March 2011.

The time equates to an extra 591 full time staff, or 12 people spending their entire working life with the RSPB, or one person volunteering 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for a 116 years.

The wildlife conservation charity, which was started up by a group of volunteers in 1889, involves volunteers in almost every part of its work in the UK and internationally, with doctors, translators, IT specialists, health and safety experts, carpenters, quantity surveyors, pilots and even a burlesque dancer all donating their time and talents to the RSPB.

Alan Murray, head of volunteering for the RSPB, said: “Our volunteers have given us the gift of time - an extra million hours of work to help us save nature.

“From wardens on reserves and people undertaking surveys of birds on farms, to raising money in the local community and repairing and recycling binoculars for use across the globe; these are just some examples of the hundreds of ways volunteers support and enhance the RSPB’s work.”

Priscilla Corbett, 24 from London, volunteers for the RSPB as a Campaign Champion. She said: “I think the thing that struck me most about volunteering is that I've never felt overwhelmed or overloaded by the role. It’s been really flexible and accommodating to my needs depending on how much time I can give, which has worked really well for me as someone who has a full time job and inevitably has to juggle different priorities.”

When Steve King, 30 from East Sussex, first started volunteering at RSPB Broadwater Warren nature reserve, he was unemployed and in need of a boost. Happily, he went on to secure a full time job with an IT firm and had this to say about his experience: “I really enjoy volunteering; it helped me tremendously with building up my confidence and made me more attractive to employers. I still do it in my spare time – it’s great fun.”

With 2012 being a leap year the RSPB is asking people to make it their New Year’s resolution to donate the extra day to help save wildlife.

Alan Murray continued: “Volunteering is a fantastic way of doing something that benefits a great cause and makes you feel good about yourself at the same time. Many people go on a diet or join a gym in January, but why not make volunteering your New Year’s Resolution? “Thanks to the leap year we’re all going to get an extra day in 2012. Do something useful with it and lend your time and talents to the RSPB to help us reach two million hours next year!”

To find out more about volunteering opportunities with the RSPB visit http://www.rspb.org.uk/volunteering