For well over a year things have not quite been what they were. As with everyone, some of the services we were able to offer our clients had to be adjusted. One form of this was the postponement of volunteer days and community programmes. With precautionary habits a part of every-day life now, we and our client have decided it is time to begin hosting internal volunteer groups, to gauge the ease of reintroducing this to our services. There will, naturally, still be a number of precautions and safety measures in place to protect both staff and volunteers, though the very nature of our activities mean that social distancing is an inevitable practice!
So what’s happening?
This October we will be filling our flasks and sharpening our tools as one eager, returning team of staff from Heathrow Airport will be joining our Biodiversity Team on the sites for some hands-on winter habitat works.
Well, autumn and winter are the ideal time of year to perform practical habitat management: cutting and removing targeted areas of vegetation to preserve the type of habitat. This might mean cutting bramble so that a meadow stays flowery, or cutting willow to encourage regenerated coppice. Its at this time of year that there are fewer flowers, berries and nesting animals to disturb, so its the least impactful on the wildlife we are trying to conserve. The particular events of the day will be a combination of tasks specific to the site we’re visiting, in keeping with our ongoing Biodiversity Action Plan.
Please note:
At present, this event is an internal, invitation only event. This is so that we have full control over any risks, and can moderate the impact of restarting our community engagement on our team. In the future, we and our client hope to increase these works once more. We’ve been sure to stay in contact with many of the regular groups we were involved with, and we are always keen to expand our connections, so please don’t hesitate to contact us if, in the future, you feel a group you are involved with would like to discuss events. Please keep an eye on our Events page for the latest updates, or contact us directly.