Fresh air, exercise and the chance to learn more about the natural environment and the creatures that inhabit it.

Volunteers with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust - which this year celebrates its 70th anniversary - are crucial to its work.

Around 800 people regularly give their time to the charity, which manages more than 97 nature reserves across the region.

“They are people of all ages who come along to help,” says Jo Meays, the trust’s volunteering development officer for Yorkshire. “Many do practical conservation work on our nature reserves and other sites. Some have been coming to us for a long time.”

She adds: “They are working in a natural environment and meeting other people who are interested in the same thing.”

Work can include tasks such as creating habitats for particular species such as water voles and otters, planting, scrub clearance, fencing, and survey work - gathering information on sightings of creatures including birds and butterflies.”

Volunteers looking for a career in conservation can gain valuable experience with the trust, following a voluntary traineeship, which helps them towards their goal. “Some of our reserves start out with a management group made up of volunteers,” says Jo. “

Others may choose to help at events, with education and administration. “Office volunteers come in and help mail out magazines,” says Jo, “We produce a volunteering newsletter that gets sent out four times a year. Some are interested in project work such as habitats for water voles."

Once a year volunteers meet at a conference in June, where they take part in various activities and listen to guest speakers. Last year they met at the University of Leeds.

“It is our chance to thank them for the time they give to us,” says Jo. “It would be difficult without volunteers. We have limited conservation staff and 96 reserves, as well as other areas in which we work.”

The Lower Aire Valley is among those areas in which volunteers work. Conservation officer Don Vine oversees projects focusing upon the River Aire and its tributaries.

“Here, our work is mostly river based so we are looking at things involved with the European Union Water Framework Directive,” he says. This piece of legislation, established in 2000, is designed to preserve, restore and improve the water environment. “It is mainly rural work - dealing with run off from farms and fields. We look at natural flood defences - small scale ways of lowering the risk of flooding.” These include planting trees and hedgerows, whose root systems can hold together the soil to improve drainage.

Willow spiling - in which living willow is woven between live willow stakes set into the bank at regular intervals to stabilise it - is also used. “It creates bankside defences and helps to prevent them crumbling away,” explains Don. “We have done it in quite a lot of places on the Upper Aire, towards Malham, near Broughton Hall in Skipton and along Pudsey Beck and Meanwood Beck in Leeds.”

Don stresses the value of volunteers. “Everything we do depends upon them. We bring in contractors to work on fencing and jobs like that, but for less technical work the volunteers are great.”

The trust works closely with Forest of Bradford, an initiative set up to increase tree cover within the district, who bring with them armies of volunteers. “We recently worked with them on hedge laying and restoration near Gargrave.”

It is a partner organisation of the Yorkshire Farming and Wildlife Partnership which offers advice to farmers and landowners on how best to manage and get the most out of their land.

Corporate volunteering is popular, with groups from companies including Yorkshire Water, one of it its contractors Turner & Townsend and the University of Leeds helping with various projects. A student volunteer group has just been set up.

“When we have a large group we can really blitz something,” says Don. “The willingness is always there - they are 100 per cent enthusiastic.”

“I have had groups return time and time again and gained real expertise in what they are doing.”

Companies also provide funding for projects. Work focusing on creating and restoring wildlife habitats, running up the River Aire from Bingley to Malhamdale and Otterburn has been funded by landfill operator Biffa’s award scheme, part of the Landfill Communities Fund.

To find out more about volunteering with the YWT visit: ywt.org.uk/volunteer, ring 01904 659570 or e-mail volunteering@ywt.org.uk

*Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is asking volunteers and former volunteers if they have any photographs that could be used in a magazine featuring photographic memories. Contact them on the above number.