Lyscombe nature reserve is a beautiful area of land, and being able to volunteer there feels like a gift. Being able, in a tiny, practical way, to make a very small part of the planet better in order to support the recovery of nature, with a likeminded group of people, is truly a tonic for some of the craziness of modern life. And I feel sure the other volunteers would agree. 

The first time I joined a work party was in January. A thick fog hid the landscape, and it took a while to find the location. I arrived late and a large group of volunteers were cutting down hazel and tidying young woodland by collecting hundreds of disused plastic tree guards. Coppicing the hazel would enable different plants to grow in lighter spaces and so improve the habitat for birds and small mammals, Ben the Lyscombe Ranger explained. A few of us dragged the hazel up to a field to create brush piles – more hiding places and nesting places for small mammals and birds. After lunch the weather gave us a big reveal – the fog lifted, and we had views across Dorset hilltops and hillsides and down towards Lyscombe Bottom – an invitation to walk and explore further another day.

Since then, I’ve joined the work party every fortnight. We’ve cut down a lot of gorse, dragged it to the fire, taken down old fencing to open woodland so the cattle can roam more freely, planted tiny saplings and set up dormouse survey tunnels (no dormice yet). We’ve looked out for the barn owl, sat in the sun at lunchtime, talked, laughed, tried to spot the newly arrived Konik ponies and the longhorn cattle and their calves, learnt from Ben about plans and hopes for the project and why we’re doing what we’re doing, and worked our bodies hard in the fresh air.

When the Lyscombe work parties became monthly in the spring, I needed a mid-month project, so joined the Wider West Dorset volunteers for a day. The journey in itself, past Coneys Castle and Fishpond Bottom, to a small farm in Marshwood Vale was a treat. Iona gave some tuition in hedge laying, and with the help of more experienced volunteers, I laid a very tiny stretch of hedge, in a very inexpert way, but still felt quite chuffed with the work.

I’d had a hunch for months that joining projects like these would be good, and now I’ve started, I will do all I can to continue!

Volunteering at Dorset Wildlife Trust