Pastures New - a fine bunch of volunteers

Pastures New is a volunteer team with a difference. It was developed as part of the Pastures New project, which aims to restore and enhance wildlife-rich grasslands in West Dorset. These are valuable but threatened habitat ­ over 70% of Dorset’s species rich grassland have been lost since WWII. Grasslands support our native wildflowers, butterflies, mammals, bats and a host of other animals.

The project works with landowners and farmers to help restore and manage this important habitat by helping with management and restoration of these sites. An essential part of the restoration work is done by volunteers. The team carry out a range of tasks such as sowing wildflower seed, laying hedges, clearing scrub, surveying and pulling Himalayan balsam.

It is a small and friendly team, who get the opportunity to work in some remote and very beautiful places across West Dorset, carrying out work that will directly benefit wildlife. We meet onsite at 10 am every other Thursday throughout the year. If you would like further details about our tasks, or to be informed about the group’s future activities, please contact  Emily Brown on or phone 01300 321 329.

“It has been a pleasure to volunteer with the Pastures New group.  The general idea of the PN set-up appeals to me.  The winter work of scrub clearing, hedge laying, etc. has been both physically rewarding and fun at the same time and we have learned a lot.  Then , spring to autumn work, instruction and learning has been equally useful.  Seed collection or sowing; Balsam or Ragwort pulling; river bed de-consolidation; hedge surveys; bio surveys; flower and grass surveys have all been informative and useful.  It is a pleasure to get out in the fresh air with like-minded colleagues, do some hard work, learn a lot and, at the same time, have a lot of fun and banter.  At the same time, it would be nice to see new faces in the group.  I am sure new members would get a lot of satisfaction from the work we do.”

Tony Edwardes, regular Pastures New volunteer.