National Volunteers’ Week!
Tuesday, June 4th 2019
Strimming, mowing, repairing, painting, meeting & greeting, baking, surveying, identifying, photographing, bird ringing, recording and updating social media! These are just some of the activities that volunteers get up to at Foxglove, although it is also true that no two days are ever the same! This week has been no exception and as always the Foxglove team are very thankful for all of the help and support that volunteers offer in many different ways. Fixing a picnic bench was one of the jobs on the list today; these kind of tasks save the reserve a lot of money.
With a network of several miles of footpath, repairs are necessary to maintain the trails in tip top condition. The group are a dab hand at this now, come rain or shine! The edging had completely rotted on this section so new boards were installed.
Once again, stone was transported to the site, this is a strenous task (no need for gym membership)! Extra care was needed to avoid trampling on the orchids that are starting to appear almost everywhere.
Here is the end result!
Foxglove's longest standing volunteer was hard at work again tidying the gardens around the field centre and filling bird feeders. So far this year there have been well over 700 volunteer days. If each was paid £50 for a day's work then this would equate to a staggering £35, 000!
Throughout this week (National Volunteer Week) we will be celebrating with regular volunteers in various ways to thank them for all of their efforts. Volunteers don't have the time, they make the time! If you would like to get involved or have a particular interest or skill then please get in touch as with one hundred acres to manage there are always 'things to do'!
Pupils from the Dales School helped out by releasing the tiny froglets from the classroom aquarium back into the wild. It seems that they can jump quite a distance even at this young age! Once fully developed the young frogs sit on the miniature raft in the tank to have a rest from swimming, this makes them easy to catch.
Willow seeds have been blowing all over the reserve and where they have piled up on the paths they resemble a light dusting of snow!
Finally, the display of orchids should be spectacular this summer; this cluster is growing right next to the main access track!
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Tony Crease responded on 4th Jun 2019 with...
Can I add to what Soph has said by thanking all of the people who give of their free time for Foxglove and go that extra mile to make the place what it is. The last sentence of a hand-written letter from a General who visited recently, asked me to convey the following: “May I take this chance to wish you ALL continued success with this noble and worthwhile venture”. He made it clear that he understood the personal sacrifice, sheer hard work, dedication and commitment necessary to make a reserve like ours endure. All of you including those who have given up endless hours to get the nest boxes recorded, the paths repaired, the machinery returned to good working order, the net rides mown, the ringing scheme on target and the willow coppice completed should feel justifiably proud of yourselves. Others behind the scenes include our social media guru, our grant seeker, our patron, our recorders and importantly our reserve managers - all are indispensable!
This is a huge team effort - it is never easy - but it delivers something many others would love to emulate. Without the volunteer component we would achieve very little of it. Thank you.