Essex Wildlife Trust, Abbotts Hall Farm, Gt Wigborough, Colchester, Essex CO5 7RZ
About being a volunteer
Volunteer opportunities exist in many ways within the Trust. All of them assist the wildlife of Essex although some may not seem obviously relevant! All of the volunteer opportunities outlined below are of equal importance. For particular current requirements click here.
Please call 01621 862960 for further information.
Conservation Volunteers |
work on the nature reserves and undertake a range of talks including coppicing, scrub clearance, fencing, and hedging. Novices are taught how to work safely and nobody is expected to do more than they are physically capable of undertaking. | work between September and April, usually once a week |
Centre Volunteers |
welcome visitors to centres, sell merchandise from the shops and help to keep the centre clean and inviting. They also recruit new members from the visitors. | usually work 2 days a month (or more if they can) between 9.00am and 5.00pm |
Administration Assistants |
are required to stuff envelopes, stick labels and stamps onto envelopes and deliver them to the Post Office, or help prepare the magazine packages for distribution by other volunteers. Other tasks are answering the telephone, filing, photocopying and other clerical tasks. | at the Abbotts Hall Farm headquarters, usually work one day a week or a minimum of once a fortnight |
Education Volunteers |
work in the centres with the Education Officers or in schools with the Schools Wildlife Liaison Officer. In the centres, education volunteers work both in term time and during the holidays plus some weekends at Wildlife Discovery and Family Nature Days. | are required as often as possible |
Wildlife Watch Assistants |
are also part of the Education Team, and help at events organised by the local groups of Wildlife Watch - the junior arm of the Trust. | work with the Wildlife Watch leader as required |
Local Group Volunteers |
work with their nearest Local Trust Group on its committee, as assistants at open days and events, as magazine stuffers and deliverers, as fund raisers, as event leaders or by giving talks about the Trust and wildlife. | commitment can be from 1 day upwards |
Assistant Wardens |
supervise a local nature reserve regularly to check its security, and report to the warden. | a minimum of 1 visit a week is required |
Data Inputters |
help to input wildlife records. | work as often as possible as this requirement is ongoing |
Recorders of species |
monitor nature reserves and roadside verges to record the wellbeing of a specific species or range of species. | requirement is ongoing |