Community Volunteering
The community volunteering project provided people with the opportunity to develop new skills and gain training. Volunteers worked on a wide range of activities from learning the craft of hedge laying to participating in ‘balsam bashing’ days. Litter picking and site clearance have helped to enhance numerous areas throughout the Saltscape.
A number of different groups have participated in our community volunteering project. One such group being the petty pool trust – a college supporting young people with special needs. The students at Petty Pool ventured out to take part in scrub clearance and litter picking which proved extremely successful with a total of 50 students taking part each learning about the importance of our natural habitats and the reason for management.
We also held a community coppicing day at Hazel Pear Wood in collaboration with the Woodland Trust. The aim was to teach a diverse set of skills in woodland management and promote the chance to be part of the woodland allotment scheme, a scheme that enables local users of Hazel Pear to manage areas of their own accord.
At Bottom Pitch, Weaverham, a group including members of the Weaverham Trust and The Vale Royal Conservation Volunteers joined us for a day of hedge-laying and what a day it was! The volunteers learnt the ancient skill of hedge laying using billhooks and attacked a rather large hedge with force. The end result made such a difference and really let light into Bottom Pitch as well as allowing a view in from the road.
See map for a list of the sites Saltscape volunteers worked on.
What have we delivered?
Conservation Volunteering- Invasive plant removal
- Woodland management
- Wetland creation
- Wildlife surveys and recording
- Footpath creation
- Site clearance and preparation
- Local history research
- Cataloguing and preservation of local historical records
- Canal milepost surveys and repair
- Renovation of historic built structures; buildings, walls etc.
- Salt history interpretation projects; exhibitions, mini museum, booklets and onsite interpretation