Why volunteer with us?
Volunteers are at the heart of the work we do to enhance and protect the environment of the Manhood Peninsula. The Peninsula is a special place, and we need the help of local people to keep our work rolling and continue its legacy. We are an active, welcoming and enthusiastic group, and whether you are interested in learning more about wildlife, gaining new skills, meeting new people or just staying active and involved, there is something for you as a volunteer with MWHG. If you are interested in volunteering with us, please be assured that you don’t need to make a regular time commitment, volunteering with us is flexible, and you can choose how much you do and when.
What do volunteers do?
Our volunteers are involved with a range of activities that suit different interests and abilities. A large portion of our work is outdoors-based, and involves practical conservation tasks and surveying habitats and wildlife. On conservation days we tackle a range of tasks from restoring ponds and clearing scrub to laying hedges and planting trees. These events are a great way to stay active while having fun with a group of like-minded people. The refreshments provided are always a welcome and relaxing end to our practical work too! Our survey work is carried out along ditches and hedgerows, and is essential to help us target where we can make improvements for wildlife and reduce flood risk. We also need to volunteers to help us with running events, promotion and educational activities, and there is scope to help with heritage research projects also. Whatever your skills, experience or interests, we’d be happy to hear from you and discuss what volunteer role might be right for you.
Who volunteers?
You don’t need to be super-fit or have any special skills or knowledge to volunteer with us. We provide all the training and safety equipment needed, and our friendly group leaders are experienced in managing work parties. Our volunteers are very varied, from students looking to gain skills and training for a career in conservation, to retired people wanting to keep active and make a difference to the environment in their Parish. We always welcome new people to join our work parties, and you are very welcome to bring along friends, family or colleagues to try volunteering too.
Where and How can I volunteer?
We have volunteering opportunities across the Manhood Peninsula and you can volunteer at a locations that suits you.
- Every Friday our FLOW (Fixing and Linking our Wetlands) project holds conservation tasks at different locations across the Peninsula. This is a great opportunity to get involved in an active and ambitious project and a chance to see places in the local countryside where the public may not usually have access.
- Every Saturday our ASHE local group holds varied conservation tasks based in one of the parishes of Almodington, Sidlesham, Highleigh and Earnley.
- On Tuesdays and Fridays, our Selsey group holds regular conservation tasks at East Beach Pond and Manor Green Park.
Our FLOW Field Officer Chris Drake is always looking for new volunteers to be trained to help survey ditches and hedgerows in the local Parishes. This work is essential to help target sites for our wildlife improvement and is a great way to learn more about wildlife and survey techniques.
Upcoming events can be found on our calendar.
How can I get started?
If you are interested in volunteering with us, the best first step is to get in touch to discuss the options, via our volunteering contact form below. We would encourage prospective volunteers to come along to one of our practical conservation events for a taster, meet the other volunteers and get a feel for what they would like to do. If you are interested in surveying wildlife, our Field Officer Chris Drake is happy take new people out to sample what is involved, and learn from what current survey volunteers are doing. If you think you have other skills to offer, such as helping with events and, especially, helping to promote us locally, we’d love to hear from you too.
