V Project Farewell!

A Sunny and Successful Send off for Dorset Wildlife Trust’s ‘V’ Funded Youth Volunteering Project.

The ‘V Project Finale’, which took place at Holton Lee on the 24th February, marked
the end of Dorset Wildlife Trust’s three-year programme of working with young volunteers, funded by V, the national volunteering organisation. The day saw an enthusiastic turn-out of volunteers ready and willing to help clear and burn the overgrown gorse and pine to allow space for the heathland plants of this unique landscape on the edge of Poole Harbour to flourish.

All concern about the weather was unfounded and a beautiful and dry day meant that bonfires could be lit to burn the cleared gorse and fir shrub. The day was organised by six BA (Hons) Events Management students from Bournemouth University, and the conservation task was led by Steve Davis, Volunteering Programme Manager at Dorset Wildlife Trust and Matthew Briars, Holton Lee Environment Manager.
 

An enjoyable day which helped retain a beautiful environment

The volunteers covered a broad age range with the youngest being fifteen years old, including some
regular volunteers for Dorset Wildlife Trust and Holton Lee and others who had never carried out any conservation work before. Annette Brooke, MP for Mid-Dorset and North Poole, also attended, touring Holton Lee, meeting the team and chatting with volunteers to find out what work was taking place and why. Hope FM was also on site to carry out a live interview with members of the events organising team, who remarked that the support from Hope FM and Ms Brooke was a great morale boost for everyone involved. The event closed with a surprise presentation to the Events Management students of Volunteering England Gold Awards as part of National Student Volunteering week.

Rachael McMeeken, Bournemouth University Events Team Leader, said “The day was a great achievement, and none of it would have been possible without those who kindly volunteered their time to help the environment. Many thanks to all who helped make the day such a success; the volunteers, Dorset Wildlife Trust, everyone from Holton Lee and the Bournemouth University team. It was an enjoyable day that allowed valuable work to be done to help retain such a beautiful environment”.

Dorset Wildlife Trust is always looking for eager and passionate volunteers to offer their skills or lend a hand with ongoing projects. For more information about Dorset Wildlife Trust and their forthcoming events,Click here or tel: 01305 264620.


For more information please contact Steve Davis at Dorset Wildlife Trust on 01202 642788.
For our latest news RSS feed, see /c2/rss/dwt_latest_news.xml

About Dorset Wildlife Trust www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk
Working for a secure future for Dorset’s wildlife enriching the quality of life
Dorset Wildlife Trust works to champion wildlife and natural places, to engage and inspire people and to promote sustainable living. Founded in 1961, DWT is now the largest voluntary nature conservation organisation in Dorset, with over 25,000 members and over 40 nature reserves. Most are open daily and there are visitor centres providing a wealth of wildlife information at Brooklands Farm, Lorton Meadows, Kingcombe Meadows and Brownsea Island Nature Reserves, The Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve and the Urban Wildlife Centre at Upton Heath Nature Reserve. DWT plays a key role in dealing with local environmental issues and leads the way in establishing the practices of sustainable development and engaging new audiences in conservation, particularly in the urban areas.