Get involved
Volunteering opportunities
Volunteers are an important part of the Winnall Restoration Project and without them we would be hard-pressed to realise the full potential of this tremendous nature reserve. Equally the many opportunities available give a wide range of people the chance to develop new skills and interests, just for enjoyment or for pursuing a career related to the environment, heritage or education.
Volunteers themselves are most effective at conveying how much they learn and enjoy about volunteering. Often talking to somebody who is already volunteering is the best method of encouraging more members of the public to get involved.
As the project develops there will be a wide range of activities including:
-
Regular volunteer workparties with the ‘Friends of Winnall local group' - practical work including willow clearance, coppicing, fence removal, hay cutting, stream enhancements, building otter holts etc.
-
Species surveys & monitoring - bird & bat surveys, water voles & otter, butterfly & moth, botanical surveys,monitoring of dipwells etc.
-
Youth Volunteering - practical work for 13-25 year olds including: habitat creation, wildlife surveys coppicing etc.
-
Guided walks - Volunteer-led interpretive guided walks (wildlife & history).
-
Volunteer wardens - Maintain a presence on site, speak to the public about Winnall and its wildlife or history, check stock (cattle & sheep), maintain infrastructure, record wildlife etc.
-
Photography - help to build a pictorial record of the reserve, wildlife & people using it & the changing seasons.
-
Historic brickwork restoration - recording & restoration of 18/19th century water meadow structures
-
Community arts projects & education - help with special events, story-based sculpture trails, family-orientated events, pond-dipping etc.
Full training will be provided for many of these activities by Trust staff or external facilitators. If you are interested in a volunteer activity please contact Martin de Retuerto: martindr@hwt.org.uk, tel 01489 774432.
Events
Watch this space for details on upcoming talks, guided walks, workshops or training courses.
February 2012
16th Winchester Wildlife Watch activity - Winnall Moors
Come along for some fresh air and outdoor fun ! Wildlife Watch activities – fun for all the family.
March 2012
15th Winchester Wildlife Watch activity - Winnall Moors
Come along for some fresh air and outdoor fun ! Wildlife Watch activities – fun for all the family.
April 2012
11th Is it a Frog or a Toad? - Winnall Moors
Search long grass for amphibians, practise your hopping skills and search the pond for signs of spawning
May 2012
13th Join Project Manager Martin de Retuerto and volunteers Wilf Simcox and Damian Offer for a fascinating insight into bird ringing
14th Winnall Moors, an ‘exemplar’ for the Itchen Valley - Winnall Moors (Map ref. SU 485 297)
Join Martin de Retuerto and Rachel Remnant on guided walk through the south and up to the north of the reserve to show how Winnall Moors nature reserve is a sanctuary for wildlife and an example for other landowners to learn from
