8:22am Wednesday 6th May 2009
By Helen Mead
This year, the grounds of Oakwell Hall Country Park will have a new attraction to make the most of its natural surroundings.
A series of newly-created ponds and a boardwalk footpath will lead to a viewing platform where activities such as pond dipping and wildlife watching can be enjoyed.
Work on the project is being carried out by the British Trust For Conservation Volunteers – more commonly known as BTCV – which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Groups of local people, aged between 16 and 60, brave all weathers to help the green volunteering charity, which supports conservation projects. “The Oakwell ponds, footpath and platform will look great once finished, and we hope that a lot of people enjoy them,” says BTCV’s Dan Barker, fresh from a day’s work on site.
“Volunteering gives people a chance to get out into the fresh air and make a difference to the environment,” adds Dan, who works as a senior field project officer for the BTCV in West Yorkshire. “It is very rewarding.”
The charity’s fourth Spring Into Action campaign runs until June 7, encouraging thousands of people across the UK to get involved.
Dan leads teams to locations across the county, many in the Bradford district. “All our projects are very hands-on. Most of our work is classed as ‘practical conservation’,” he says.
“Tasks such as tree planting, hedge laying and creating paths not only benefit the environment, but help people to learn new skills. We get involved in a variety of projects – I love the fact that the work changes week to week.”
Set up in 1959, BTCV has a successful history of environmental conservation volunteering across the UK and around the world, working with around 300,000 volunteers every year. Across West Yorkshire, more than 350 people take part annually.
“It allows people who want to make a difference to their community and environment the chance to do so,” says John Preston, the charity’s manager in West Yorkshire.
In Bradford, much work has been carried out in school grounds. Says John: “We’ve helped schools to make seating areas around playgrounds. We have also helped to create separate, fenced-off wildlife areas within playgrounds.
“The big thing at present is growing fruit and vegetables, so we help schools to create a plot, often with a number of beds – one for each class.”
Volunteers come from all backgrounds. They include a number of people who have taken early retirement and help out for one day a week. “Some people have been coming for many years, and contribute a great deal.”
As well as groups of volunteers, BTCV also works with learning disabilities, and students studying towards NVQs in environmental work. Students also come on placement from local colleges.
“The NVQ team helps with projects such as canal-side clean-ups, dry stone walling, hedge laying and repainting signs and structures in country parks,” explains John, who has worked for the charity for 23 years.
Referrals are also made to the charity by mental health organisations and a number of residents of sheltered accommodation are involved. “It is a real cross-section,” says John.
Courses are funded by the Learning and Skills Council, with cash also coming from sources including landfill tax grants and local authorities. Schools pay a fee for work by the volunteers. The cost of the Oakwell project has been met by the waste recycling firm Biffa, in conjunction with Kirklees Council.
BTCV – whose West Yorkshire base is at Hollybush Conservation Centre in Leeds – also manages funds for environmental projects. “We try to work out what part people can play, and advise people as to what grants they can apply for,” says John.
In West Yorkshire, the charity has also been part of the Big Tidy Up organised by Keep Britain Tidy. “We fished litter out of a half-mile stretch of Leeds-Liverpool Canal,” says John. “In three days we collected two dozen sacks of metal cans which were recycled.”
John adds: “I hope people get a lot out of it – we teach them new skills, and share our knowledge and enthusiasm for the environment. It is very satisfying to be able to go out for a walk and say: ‘I helped build that footpath or lay that hedge’.”
For more information about volunteering with BTCV, contact them on 0113 2742335 or visit 2.btcv.org.uk.
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