Land Trust pay tribute to contribution of volunteers as they complete 10,000 days on site

Land Trust volunteers completed over 10,000 days on the charity’s sites in 2017/18 and played a key role in helping the organisation deliver its charitable objectives the charity announced today.

In 2017/18 over 4,000 volunteers took part in activities on Land Trust sites, meaning that on average each volunteer gives up at least two and half days of their time a year.

The Land Trust announced the amazing figures on the final day of 2018’s National Volunteers Week which pays tribute to the incredible work carried out by volunteers across the country.

Alan Carter, Director of Portfolio management for the Land Trust, said:

“Volunteers play an absolutely vital role in local communities and the Land Trust is fortunate enough to be able to draw upon a vast network of people at our sites across the country.

“While the Land Trust benefits hugely from the work they carry out, we also work extremely hard to ensure that volunteers get back as much as they put in. This could be in the form of some professional training or qualification to help them with the work they carry out on our sites or in the mental and physical benefits they get from spending time outdoors in green space.”

Volunteers play a key role at all 64 of the Land Trust’s sites across the country, taking part in a wide range of activities including wildflower planting, shrub clearance, den building and recording and welcoming visitors.

Mike Little was recently named Volunteer of the Year at the Land Trust Awards 2018 for his work at Knowle Haven.

He opens up and litter picks Knowle Haven and Mayles Lane every day and has completed much of the development of the site by himself, working with the other volunteers he has helped recruit, learning new skills and undertaking training to benefit the site and his own personal development.

Mike, who suffers from a degenerative bone disease, credits his volunteering with a significant improvement in his physical and mental well-being.

Carter said:

“Mike is a shining example of how volunteering can benefit not only an organisation but also the individual themselves.

“Quite simply Knowle Haven would still be a plan on paper but for the enthusiastic, resourceful and transformational role Mike has played in its creation and ongoing development.

“Volunteering has also had a significantly positive impact on Mike’s health. His volunteer work has not only kept him active but allows him to continue to enjoy a quality of life that he thought might not be possible.”

If you are interested in volunteering with the Land Trust you can find more information here: https://thelandtrust.org.uk/help-us/volunteering/