Hats off to Volunteering!

This week marks Volunteers Week – something which we mark each year.

We welcome volunteers here at Oaklea Group – you can get hands on at our community enterprises – The Furniture Warehouse or Appleby Hub!

In the past we have featured those who give up their time with us. These have included people like Dan at TFW to our Trustees & Board members at Oaklea & Right2Work (Below you can see Trustee Derek at an Oaklea house in Barnard Castle, TFW Volunteer Dan, Right2Work Chair Julia and Trustee Colin running a training session with employees).

Plus who can forget these two NE Legends – Calum & Dan from Seaham, County Durham – volunteering at Durham Cathedral and getting an award from Durham Council respectively (Reminders here https://www.oakleatrust.co.uk/giving-back-in-so-many-ways/)

Passing the bucket er baton…

This year – we focus on one of our own staff – in fact the person writing this – our webmaster/communications lead, Simon (so beware – writing in the third person may catch on!)

Giving back – goes back

Simon has been volunteering for many years – in fact it goes back to Sixth Form days (for time travellers -the mid 1980’s!) and a summer spent at the Ffestiniog Steam Railway in North Wales – then time with the Leicester City Wildlife Project whilst at University of Leicester. Since then has continued to volunteer on a consistent basis – predominantly with conservation based bodies.

You may recall this blog (above) done for the Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP) in 2020 during Covid – where he was delivering essential supplies/food etc in the Eden Valley with his son from the Appleby Hub https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/volunteering-during-lockdown-the-diary-of-a-young-ranger/ (and involvement with YDNP Young Rangers)

In 2025 that commitment has got more extensive to 2 or 3 days a week.

Volunteering hat trick

He volunteers with these organisations

• Cumbria Wildlife Trust (CWT) https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/
• Friends of the Lake District (FoLD) https://www.friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/
• Yorkshire Dales National Park (YDNP) https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/

This involves practical conservation – from dry stone walling to tree planting to creating wildlife habitats to ensuring rights of way are maintained.

“Why – well as a resident of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and a long term advocate of putting something back in a practical way. There’s a great sense of positivity in doing things together -the shared experience PLUS seeing things develop and thrive – like the wood nurtured, the routes made better and access to the outdoors.”

Taking part in volunteering can take many forms

The Yorkshire Dales National Park has its own website just for volunteers – here you register your tasks, keep up to date with training etc

Ongoing training

“You’re not alone – As a volunteer most organisations will give you some form of training – in my case with the YDNP – this has involved things like Navigation skills training and sessions on making the National Park more inclusive.”

NHS – Natural Health Service you say?

As an example – this weekend I attended a ‘Yorkshire Dales for Everyone‘ workshop at Hazel Brow Farm, Swaledale. Have a listen to the lead trainer Mohammed Dhalech* – he also volunteers with the YDNP Education & Engagement Team – he says getting the wider community involved in volunteering is a good thing:

*Mohammed is currently working on a PHD at University of Leicester, Museum Studies Dept on ‘Ethnicity in Rural Britain” with a particular focus on Hadrians Wall (He’s from Carlisle and has links to Tyneside)

Some examples of recent activities

Dry stone walling with FoLD – Mazon Wath, Great Asby Scar; Fencing and tree restoration at CWT Bowberhead Nature Reserve; Widening bridleways in Arkengarthdale for horse riders & Mountain Bikers (YDNP) and gorse bashing (and bonfire) on The Helm near Kendal (FoLD)

Choose the right path for you

One of the specific projects I am involved in 2025 is the YDNP PPS – Parish Pathways Survey. It involves a lot of work with maps and following guidelines to record the state of public access in the National Park.

“Every year the PPS is used to assess the infrastructure and surface of the public rights of way (PROW) network across the Dales National Park. Thanks to you (the volunteers), all 2622km, 19,648 items of infrastructure and 1,066 river crossings are surveyed every single year. The condition of infrastructure is recorded and inputted into the YDNPA mapping system to allow staff to prioritise workload. The surveys are also used as a legal record of the PROW at any one time.” Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

Cotton eyed Joe?

The PPS involves going out and recording and taking note of the routes you are assigned to. It also helps when the weather has been so good recently!

Final posting…sinking in – almost

So why not get into volunteering….the last word goes to….just watch that hand Si….could take a passing bumble bee out! Here’s his call to action recorded this weekend after the training course in his natural habitat:

Signpost us please…

So why not get involved -there are plenty of organisations to get involved with across Oaklealand – and us – in fact if you want to do things with us go to our volunteers page https://www.oakleatrust.co.uk/volunteering/ Plus get the National perspective and relevant signposting here https://volunteersweek.org/

Find pastures new – You also get to meet all kinds…..some more chatty than others!