Volunteering or team-building opportunities for staff

If you are interested in developing a volunteering programme to meet your own specific business requirements, we would be happy to discuss this with you. Contact Helen Williams (0300 060 0693) or Linda McCabe (0300 060 3949) or email volunteer.enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk

For example, Natural England is responsible for National Nature Reserves, the jewels in England’s natural heritage. We’re always looking to increase awareness of these sites and can offer team building or knowledge building days out in the wonderful English countryside.

We are also responsible for the 13 National Trails, which are the best known long-distance routes for walkers, riders and cyclists in England and Wales. Some of the National Trails now have shorter circular routes to appeal to a wider range of visitor. There will be a range of volunteering opportunities on these trails.

We’re well practised at managing volunteers, with all the necessary health and safety processes in place. (In fact, we have almost as many volunteers as we have employees – a testament to the support we have nationwide).

We can design bespoke team-building days where your staff can work together to help maintain these precious sites, learn about the wildlife and have a great day out.

Read these examples to see how firms have benefitted:

Local pie-makers help to save the Mosses

Local company sets up management development programme on Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses NNR.

Over sixty managers from a local pie-making company in Shropshire are helping Natural England to save the internationally important Fenn’s, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses National Nature Reserve through a management development programme.

The reserve was saved from near destruction through commercial peat extraction in 1991, and is now being restored to actively growing raised bog by clearing trees and scrub and bringing the bog water table back to the surface. This work relies on the help of many volunteers, so the offer of help from Palethorpes was warmly welcomed.

Palethorpes employ over 650 people, many of whom live locally. In a move to develop its managers, Palethorpes has set up a management development programme, which includes spending a day on the Mosses carrying out practical tasks, such as moving brash or pulling seedlings. Palethorpes is hoping that this will help their managers develop strong team working habits, as well as improving their awareness of local wildlife habitats and environmental issues.

Two Groups of volunteers from Palethorpes have recently spent a day working on the Mosses, with further volunteering days in March and April planned.

Getting the Roots out on Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve

A local company called Roots swop their Christmas dinner for a day’s work on the reserve.

Over the Christmas period, a kitchen and bathroom company called Roots offered their skills to help their local community by volunteering for a day at Stodmarsh NNR, instead of downing tools for their usual relaxing Christmas party.

Their hard work and determination helped to complete a section of boardwalk which has improved accessibility on the Reserve just in time for visitors to walk off their mince pies while taking in some stunning wildlife.

This is the fourth corporate volunteer day which has been carried out under the Welcome to the Wildside project this year with excellent results for both the reserve and the organisations involved. It is great to see some big corporate names such as Nike, Pfizer and KPMG get involved in our Kent Reserves.