Volunteer

You will help your local wildlife, have fun and possibly get fit too, learn new skills and meet other volunteers at social events.

If you have an email address you will receive Grapevine, our e-newsletter full of information about volunteering with BBOWT, and information about free training courses and other events.

You could win an award! Lifetime Achievement and Outstanding Contribution Awards are presented every year at our AGM when we recognise and celebrate all that BBOWT volunteers are doing for wildlife.

You can help your local wildlife in a number of ways – these are just a few of them:

• As an occasional or regular ‘work party’ volunteer on a local reserve, you will carry out practical conservation tasks to help improve wildlife habitats on the reserve.
• If you join one of BBOWT’s mid-week teams in Berks, Bucks or Oxon you will be doing practical tasks every week on several different nature reserves within the county.
• You can help at our events, ‘meet and greet’ at Visitor Centres, or enjoy a walk around a reserve to check on our livestock.
• Volunteers with ecological expertise carry out surveys of various species groups including birds, butterflies, plants and water voles.
• Experienced volunteers who want more responsibility, and who are trained to use specific equipment, can join the county Field Teams. These teams carry out more complex tasks where specialist skills are needed, and use general maintenance and DIY skills to benefit our reserves and wildlife.
• Some volunteers become reserve wardens, helping to manage, monitor and maintain specific nature reserves. 
• Occasionally we recruit Wildlife Trainees who are able to make a commitment to join us three days a week for six to twelve months. BBOWT provides full training to help Wildlife Trainees develop their environmental careers. 

Regional groups in the Chilterns, East Berkshire and Mid-Berkshire play key roles in raising the profile of BBOWT in their area, helping to raise vital funds and increase membership by organising local events and work parties. Volunteers are needed to help run events such as guided walks and plant and produce sales, and serve on committees.

‘Friends of’ groups are linked to specific nature reserves such as Letcombe Valley and Thatcham Community Orchard. Find out more about these groups by emailing the Community Wildlife Officer for each county.
Berkshire: Jone Ayres
Buckinghamshire: Kate Sheard
Oxfordshire: Andy Gunn

We believe in the value of volunteering, and we have policies that guide our work in recruiting, supporting and managing volunteers. We also have a strong commitment to equal opportunities in volunteering. We have procedures to make sure you are fairly treated.

BBOWT's Key Volunteers are responsible for making sure all our volunteers carry out their activities safely and use best practices at all times. Key Volunteers have password-protected access to the Codes of Practice and Procedures.