The Glorious Gardens project is part of a wider volunteer training programme
The Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership has been running volunteering and volunteer training programmes locally since 2012. Now halfway through the programme, they are taking stock of progress made and making plans for a bright future for all in green and heritage volunteering.
Thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant, the landscape partnership is making an investment in volunteering that will help shape the Clyde and Avon valley’s natural spaces and historical environment for the better.
The aim of the CAVLP volunteering and training programme is actually very simple – to get more people doing more for nature, the environment and the local heritage in the Clyde and Avon Valleys.
In return for lending a hand on current and future projects, volunteers will benefit from learning new skills, being part of a vibrant volunteer network and improving their health and well-being. The project also brings together local community groups, providing them with additional skills and support to run effectively.
There is a wide range of different volunteering opportunities in the CAVLP area – from environmental conservation to historical research, leading health walks to recording oral history or sharing the heritage of the CAVLP area with communities, there is something for everyone. Many of these volunteering openings will allow local people to learn new skills through free training e.g. in using a chainsaw, meet new people, gain new experiences and make a difference to this very special area.
The current volunteering opportunities include Volunteer Ambassadors, Environmental Volunteers, Heritage Volunteers, Reserve assistants, Glorious Gardens Volunteers, Education Assistants, Health Walk Leaders, Garden Volunteers, Path Wardens and Excavation Volunteers.
Donna Marshall, Manager of CAVLP, said: “The Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership is delivering around 70 conservation and heritage projects between now and 2018, but we can’t address all the conservation challenges facing the Clyde and Avon valleys on our own.
“The key to delivering successful projects to protect, enhance and conserve the natural and built environment in this area is to mobilise more people who share our aims to safeguard the heritage of the Clyde and Avon valleys for the future. Volunteering your time is a great way to help the special environment on your doorstep”
Kirsten Robb, Development Officer at CAVLP, said, “We want to help re-connect more and more local people with this wonderful landscape on our doorsteps and volunteering is a great way to do this. Volunteers in the CAVLP area have already been fixing up paths, improving nature reserves and getting trained up to record features in designed landscapes. With so many benefits to volunteering and with all these new opportunities, it’s a great time to find out more and sign up as a CAVLP volunteer.”
For further information, contact: Kirsten Robb, Development Officer at Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership kirsten@clydeandavonvalley.com 01555 663 430 or follow CALVP on Twitter or Facebook. To find out more about volunteering opportunities and fill out an application form see http://www.clydeandavonvalley.com/our-people/volunteer
- The Clyde and Avon Valley Landscape Partnership is a Heritage Lottery Fund supported organisation
- The aims of the organisation are to conserve, enhance and celebrate the unique landscape and cultural heritage of the Clyde and Avon Valleys
- The Partnership consists of ten key partners: Central Scotland Green Network Trust, Clydesdale Community Initiatives, New Lanark Trust, North Lanarkshire Council, Northlight Heritage, RSPB, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Wildlife Trust, South Lanarkshire Council and Rural Development Trust.