The Stirling midweek group runs on a Wednesday and a Thursday from 09:30 until 4pm (or thereabouts!!), and our Falkirk group runs on a Tuesday from 09:45 until 4pm. We get up to all sorts – lately we have been working on a project out at Buchlyvie school creating a wildlife garden with a pond. We work with local council rangers, biodiversity officers, local schools and nurseries (everyone is welcome!), doing pathwork, woodland maintenance, installing benches and planters (you name it, we’ve done it).
Our volunteers range from the age of 16 to 60+ and we have some brilliant people on our teams. My job as project officer is varied. Setting up projects can be quite involved and communicating these tasks to the team and successfully completing a project is very rewarding. I also run the action breaks (conservation holidays) for BTCV Scotland South and am away quite a lot with groups from around the UK and further afield. The action breaks are a real experience and I enjoy all the wee jobs I have to do from cooking to driving on the day off!
No day is the same in the Stirling office and i must say the VOs are brilliant – they really do help to keep things running and without them mine and Charlie’s jobs would be that much harder!! Being a VO is a great experience – I was a VO in Edinburgh with Chris Peach and Kenny Lieper (hi guys!) before I came to Stirling last April to run the action breaks. BTCV has given me a real insight into conservation and a great experience so far. Will keep you posted on the Stirling office!