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It was with great sadness that we learnt of the recent passing of our patron His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. His Royal Highness took the position as patron of The Conservation Volunteers (then the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers) in 1970, as the charity became independent.

As condolences and tributes from the charities His Royal Highness was patron of and the people who knew him best, it is clear that he will be remembered for his pioneering work to bring environmental causes to the public’s attention as early as the 1950s.

As our Royal Patron, he took an active interest in our work to connect people and green spaces: presenting out first ever Green Hero Awards in 2016, visiting Dersingham Bog Nature Reserve to observe a TCV scrub clearance project in 2013; and granting a private audience to our Chief Executive and Chair in 2018.

TCV team members and volunteers who met His Royal Highness at Dersingham Bog Nature Reserve recall how lovely he was to all those at the event and how genuinely interested he was in the work the volunteers were carrying out.

His Royal Highness’ interest in the work of The Conservation Volunteers pre-dates his patronage. Back in July 1960, he paid a visit to National Trust site Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, and spoke with a group of Conservation Corps (now TCV volunteers).

Outside of the work of TCV, the Duke co-founded the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which is today the world’s largest conservation organisation. In addition to this, the Duke’s most successful legacy will be The Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Originated in 1956, the award has helped millions of young people in over 140 countries prepare for adulthood by providing them with a ‘do-it-yourself growing up kit’, as described by the Duke himself. This understanding that through vocational work and activity, young people can gain skills that will help them throughout their life is something TCV shared with His Royal Highness

After his death, our Vice President Sir David Attenborough remembered His Royal Highness as “an admirable man” who was “vigorous” in his conservation work. At The Conservation Volunteers, we will remember our patron as one of the first people to use his platform to be a vocal and influential activist for conservation and climate change around the world.

“The conservation of nature, the proper care for the human environment and a general concern for the long-term future of the whole of our planet are absolutely vital if future generations are to have a chance to enjoy their existence on this Earth.”

His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Australian Conservation Foundation, Canberra, in April 1970

Ticks can be found throughout the UK but there are certain sites and areas that carry a greater risk.

Ticks like dense vegetation, moisture and humidity, and hosts (animals). Habitats such as woodlands, grasslands and moorlands are traditionally higher risk areas, particularly where there is deer or livestock grazing.

Yet this does not mean that urban areas are safe from ticks. Urban parks and gardens are also green spaces where ticks can be found. This risk is likely to be established where there is abundant livestock for adult ticks to feed on.

What are ticks?

Ticks are tiny, spider-like creatures that live in woods and areas with long grass. Ticks do not fly and they do not jump. Instead they attach themselves to the skin of an animal or human that comes into contact with them. Once a tick bites into the skin it feeds on blood for a few days before dropping off.

Ticks and Lyme disease

Lyme disease is bacterial infection that can be spread to humans by infected ticks. An early symptom of the disease is a circular red rash around a tick bite, similar to a bullseye.

Only ticks that have already bitten an infected animal can pass Lyme disease on to humans. Not all ticks are contagious but it is important to know the risks and how to prevent infection.

The rash is one of the most common symptoms of the disease, but not everyone develops it. Visit the NHS website for more information on symptoms and treatment of Lyme disease. 

How to prevent tick bites

We cannot get rid of ticks and we still want to get out in green spaces, so it is important to remember that preventing tick bites is all about education and good preparation. Here are the minimum requirements that TCV teams and volunteers adopt to reduce the risk:

This is by no means an exhaustive list of preventative measures. We have out together this handy infographic to help you as well.

This tick prevention toolkit from gov.uk is a good place to go next to find out more about prevention and Lyme disease.

To find out more about the work TCV does to protect our team and volunteers from the risks of working outside, head on over to our website to find out more. Or why not sign up to our monthly newsletter Greenzine to keep up to date with the latest news and advice from TCV.

Our local green spaces can soon be enjoyed with family and friends once again after months of separation, as lockdown restrictions begin to ease. This new level of freedom is celebrated by many across the UK, however for our environment it signals the sign of a new epidemic.

Last summer the relaxation of lockdown regulations saw a dramatic increasing in littering and fly-tipping across the UK. People spent more time outside, yet failed to recycle or clean up after themselves, leading to extreme amounts of rubbish littered in public green spaces.

While it was fantastic to see so many people appreciate nature and their local area – and we hope this momentum continues – we were saddened to read that the top four littered items in the UK were all easily recyclable, according to Planet Patrol’s 2020 ‘Extent of Litter in the UK’ report:

1. Plastic packaging
2. Drinks cans
3. Plastic bottles
4. Plastic fragments

The same report suggests that a shift to an ‘on-the-go infrastructure’ in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic has meant that many of our green spaces are overwhelmed with their bin to litter ratio. This is something the report refers to as ‘poor binfrastructure’.

Our new measurement is…rubbish.

As part of our ongoing work to better understand the impact of our work, The Conservation Volunteers now measure the amount of rubbish collected during volunteering sessions.

Many of our teams and volunteers are involved in removing litter from sites and this is now something that we are doing on a significant scale across all our regions.

Last year between April and July, councils across the UK collected an average of 57 tonnes of additional waste on top of the usual amount according to Keep Britain Tidy.

When asking our teams to add what other tasks they complete aside from the environmental impacts we already measure, collecting litter was the most recorded. This ranged from an office chair through to general litter with 20 bin bags as the highest amount collected at one site. It is becoming a standard task in our volunteering sessions.

How you can help.

The most important step we can all take to tackle the littering problem within the UK is simple…don’t do it!

If a bin is full, hold on to your rubbish until you find one that is not. You may not realise that the bin won’t be emptied for some time and your sandwich packet could quickly fly off to a stream or get caught in a hedgerow.

This will reduce littering, but better still is to take it home to separate out into your recycle bins. A soggy coffee cup might not feel appealing to carry around with you, but remember the huge difference your small efforts can make to the environment.

Even better still, take the step of finding a recycle bin out of the equation by cutting down overall waste.

Why not try using reusable bottles, cups, and containers? Single-use items have been favoured during the pandemic to stop the spread of COVID-19, however with lockdown rules lifting and hygiene standards that have been adopted still in place, these can still be used in a hygienic manner.

If you want to join in the battle against litter, as well as committing to reducing and recycling, join your local TCV volunteering group. Speak to your local office to find activities that involve socially-distanced litter picks, or see if there is a TCV Community Network group near you.

The events of 2020 have highlighted the importance of being outdoors to people’s mental and physical health.

Many people found solace in taking walks in their local natural environment and escaping the unnerving and unprecedented reality the world was slowly adjusting to.

It allowed people to recognise how social, economic, and environmental factors affect our health.

Medication alone would have been unlikely to provide a sustainable improvement to the levels of anxiety around the world. People and their community were at the centre of getting through these times successfully.

It is this idea of people and community that is at the centre of social prescribing. Patients who have long-term conditions, need support with their mental health, are lonely or isolated, or who have complex social needs which affect their wellbeing create a personalised treatment plan with their link worker.

This plan focuses on what matters to them, and that might be a dose of nature, which is where TCV comes in.

Green social prescribing

Social prescribing works by enabling all local agencies to refer people to a link worker. Read more about how social prescribing works here.

There are a vast range of programmes that link workers can prescribe to people under the social prescribing umbrella, one of those being green prescribing.

Green social prescribing links people to nature-based programmes and activities such as TCV’s Green Gym, health walks, community gardening and food-growing projects.

“The Conservation Volunteers have given me a reason to get up in the morning and keep myself active and healthy while putting something back into my local community.”

Pat, TCV Green Gym volunteer.

A link worker may prescribe someone struggling with social isolation to their local Green Gym, which are fun and free outdoor sessions that focus on health and fitness with a practical conservation project.

By encouraging a person struggling with social isolation to take part in an activity that not only benefits their mental and physical health but their community too, they build a sense of belonging and make friends along the way.

“For me, the social and community aspects of volunteering have been the most notable. Years of isolation had severely blunted my ability to interact with people socially, but Green Gym has provided a safe environment for me to relearn the skills I’d lost.”

Mark, TCV Green Gym Volunteer

Social prescribing and TCV

The positive impacts of connecting with nature and connecting with your local community are why link workers encourage green social prescribing for patients.

“There are very powerful, multi-sensory stimulation from being in contact with nature. We get that from the sounds of the birds; visually and aesthetically from the different textures, the different colours, the feel of the soil, the feel of the different plants, the smells that are constantly around us.”

Dianne Keys, TCV Operations Leader – Northern Ireland.

With programmes such as Green Gym and our work in social prescribing , TCV looks forward to developing green prescribing as part of a healthcare revolution that continues to have a positive and significant impact on the healthcare sector.

TCV Health Development Manager Rachel Hoyes shares with us how a COVID relief grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund has supported TCV groups across the UK during the pandemic and various lockdowns.

I think everyone can agree that the past year has made us all appreciate our wonderful local greenspaces.

TCV’s weekday volunteering teams often support management across many sites and these sites were heavily used over the first lockdown. However, they suffered from the lack of ongoing habitat and site management that our hard-working teams provide.

TCV was delighted to receive a grant of £140,800 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support TCV to start addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our heritage.

This fund has enabled TCV to get nine of our mid-week volunteer teams back up and running, and supported work on three TCV sites.

Over the six months of funding more than 385 individual volunteers have leant a hand, creating over 13,129 hours of volunteer work.

Funding also supported extra staff time to deliver volunteering sessions and ensure that sites and equipment were COVID safe. Teams also bought extra tools and cleaning equipment with the funds.

Mid-week teams

TCV’s midweek teams in Essex, Norfolk, Birmingham, Leicester, Hastings, and Stirling have carried out essential conservation work including clearing invasive scrub on wetlands, cutting and raking wildflower meadows, coppicing in woodland, and clearing duckweed from ponds.

Other work has included fencing for grazing cattle, building footpaths to prevent erosion, and working with local community groups to build raised beds and benches.

London

Stave Hill Ecology Park restarted their regular Wednesday volunteer sessions and thanks to the grant funding have introduce two new volunteer days on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

These extra sessions enabled volunteers to work socially distanced and catch up on missed site work.

“One of the most important outcomes has not been the work itself, but the impact of that work on park visitors. The park has had a huge increase in visitors, and although damage was not deliberate, there was some negative impact.

The volunteers’ highly visible presence demonstrated to visitors that this was a site that was valued, that people worked to create this space that visitors were discovering for the first time. Volunteers were a key means of communication, explaining the work being carried out and guiding visitors into site-friendly behaviour.

This has been an immense benefit for us, the wildlife and the local community.” 

Rebeka Clark, Senior Project Officer, Stave Hill Ecology Park

As a result of the volunteer work after lockdown, Stave Hill was also approached by Jasmine Faulkner from the Ida Girls.

Jasmine told us that the ecology park had been a lifeline whilst she had been unable to work. She wanted to give something back and proposed a small free concert.

We were able to successfully (and safely) host this event as we had a team of volunteers who were used to working within COVID-19 restrictions and had all been issued with individual PPE. The concert was very well received amongst the local community, who thanked us for lifting spirits.

Glasgow

The Glasgow team used some of their funds to deliver popular online training and resources. This supported volunteers who were not able to join group activities to keep active outside and continue volunteering.

Hedgehog surveying proved particularly popular gaining 19 volunteers. A series of ‘Green Monday’ talks aimed to lift people’s spirits on ‘Blue Monday’ attracted over 205 attendees at each session.

Manchester

In Manchester funding supported habitat work with the midweek team, as well as aiding the continuation of a gardening project supporting people with learning disabilities to gain skills and increase their health and wellbeing.

“One volunteer usually fills his week with volunteering with TCV and attending social groups for other autistic people. Unfortunately, this year, his social groups were cancelled due to COVID-19.

When we resumed volunteering, he was so grateful to be back. Volunteering gave him the opportunity to able to see people outside of their family and get a break from pacing the halls of their house!”

Ruth, Senior Project Officer

Northern Ireland

Funds in Northern Ireland supported midweek volunteering in Belfast, funding staff time to aid the group to get back up and running and supporting the work of the Clandeboye Tree Nursery.

Pre-COVID the Clandeboye Tree Nursery garnered over 120 volunteering hours per week, supporting the expert team of two TCV Project Officers to produce over 70,00 native trees per year.

In March 2020, all volunteering was suspended resulting in the main work force leaving their posts at a critical time of the tree growing season. There had also been an unexpected requirement to relocate the site.

This fund has supported volunteers to relocate the tree nursery to a new site and safely prepare over 120,000 bare-root trees for planting projects across Northern Ireland.

York

For the team in York, the funding enabled them to welcome back volunteers at the Hull Road Park project. When volunteering resumed, volunteers were eager to return as many are older and living alone and found the isolation and inactivity detrimental to their health.

Over the Christmas and New Year period, the fund aided the team to continue engaging with those volunteers to rely on regular interaction outside of their immediate household.

From the start of the current lockdown in early January, this engagement has been via a weekly ‘catch up call’. The team and volunteers exchange ideas and suggestions for activities they can do at home or in their gardens, such as The Big Garden Birdwatch.

This has kept volunteers engaged ready to start volunteering again when they can.

South Yorkshire – South Yorkshire Community Woodlands

South Yorkshire Community Woodlands consists of numerous locations across Doncaster, Barnsley and Rotherham covering 550 ha.

With funding the team have extended the contract of one of their Wardens, who has been a fantastic help in replacing damaged signs, clearing up vandalised areas, keeping sites clean, and helping the team improve the quality of local green spaces for people to enjoy.

This grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund has made such a huge difference to staff, volunteers and to the wide range of sites TCV contributes to from improving habitats for wildlife, to mending the now well-used pathways.

It has also given staff the time to support volunteers in many ways, putting extra COVID-19 secure measures in place, keeping in contact with volunteers who have not be able to join any volunteering sessions, and providing fun and interesting online learning and support.

This was all possible due to players of The National Lottery. A huge THANK YOU to all National Lottery players from all at TCV.

Today is International Day of Girls and Women in Science day. The purpose of the day is to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls.

To celebrate the day, we have asked Kirsty Crawford, Senior Project Officer at TCV Glasgow, to share the story of her journey to working in wildlife biology and conservation.

My path has taken many turns but I currently work as a Senior Project Officer in Glasgow, focused on Citizen Science projects. I’ve been in this role for three years, delivering a host of nature and community-based wildlife programmes across Central Scotland.

I didn’t always know I wanted to work in conservation, even while at school I had no idea about the range of jobs which could involve working in nature apart from maybe Park Ranger. At the time most of the biological science and outdoor jobs felt like they were geared up towards men.

My undergraduate was in Journalism and Creative Writing followed by a Performing Arts Diploma and years spent in London as a professional performer.

After a role at ZSL London Zoo as a wildlife presenter and an internship with the BBC Natural History Unit, I decided to apply for an MSc in Wildlife Biology and Conservation. I graduated in October 2020.

My entry to working with The Conservation Volunteers was through a brilliant traineeship scheme called Natural Talent UK. The aim of the programme was to increase expertise to protect our less well-known species and create awareness of the habitats that support them.

After a year of the traineeship in partnership with Buglife, combining skills in wildlife identification, project development, taxonomy and community engagement, a new role came up to deliver Citizen Science in Scotland.

Citizen Science can be defined simply as the involvement of volunteers in scientific research, an engaging and interesting challenge with many benefits.

Our TCV sessions are offered through our large-scale project Scotland Counts which has been running for over 12 years, as a means of substantial, thoughtful outreach with many diverse communities and members of the public.

Through this we deliver training courses, events, workshops, school sessions and design new surveys. Our flagship Citizen Science project is HogWatch Scotland, the first Scottish hedgehog conservation project which helps create new habitat, raise awareness, deliver educational programmes and carry out nocturnal work to survey this declining species.

In partnership with Earthwatch Europe, I also lead on the Naturehood community wildlife project in Glasgow, encouraging local communities to rewild their spaces and take action for nature.

Together with Scottish Forestry, we created a brand-new citizen science survey focused on assessing the health of local woodlands. The Dead Good Deadwood Survey highlights the importance of dead and decaying wood as a vital habitat for many rare species. We host training and community events to give volunteers and local groups the skills to carry out monitoring.

Part of our project also provides outreach to BME and recently arrived familied in Scotland to offer access to the outdoors, excursions, training and a range of events linked to Scottish natural heritage.

At a community level Citizen Science has been shown to be an agent for empowering communities to act as environmental stewards, protecting and improving their local and global environment. This is especially important for the young people which we connect with.

One of our projects this year, Pathways to STEM, has a focus on inspiring girls to consider conservation and environmental careers and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects, in partnership with the Developing the Young Workforce campaign.

At secondary level we host dedicated workshops and discussion sessions for female pupils, including practical environmental sessions. More broadly, the project aims to connect young people with their local greenspaces and has worked with over 6,000 children.

Through Scotland Counts we try to reach outside the typical circle of people who are either already interested in wildlife or are studying a related subject, to allow us to target a new generation of citizen scientists.

I’m passionate about being ‘more than one thing’ in life and advocating for the impact of environmental education and the opportunities it can bring.