Volunteering
The crises that we face with nature and the climate can seem overwhelming and impossible, yet there are some amazing, positive things that are happening in our local area. Below is a list of local groups that have volunteers who contribute to looking after our local wildlife and green spaces. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but if you sign up to the Green Spaces newsletter (first on the list), they provide a more comprehensive list of activities.
- Lancaster District Green Spaces – “supporting volunteers who are protecting and developing green spaces across the district.”
- Lancaster Men’s Hub – this is a charity dedicated to improving mental and physical health in mean through activities such as in their workshop where projects have included building swift boxes, part of Lancaster’s commitment to being a ‘Swift City‘.
- Fairfield Nature Reserve – is a thriving local space for nature that is well supported by the local community. If you want to get involved, there are regular volunteer groups that meet to help manage this beautiful local oasis.
- Freeman’s Wood – another local space for nature that is designated as a Town Green and has been purchased, in trust, for the local community. Regular events are held at in the wood, and a new accessible path was installed in 2024.
- The Storey Gardens – a small but beautifully curated garden and immersive art installation, this is a true gem in the heart of Lancaster. A range of events are held here throughout the year. There is page dedicated to the friends of the garden (FOSG) if you want to find out more.
Creating a wildlife friendly space
There are lots of little things we can do to help wildlife, but they can often seem to be expensive and time-consuming. However, there are some simple activities which can save you time and money. The video below from WWF gives some ideas of ways to bring wildlife into your garden, but here are some other tips with links to videos by The Natural History Museum:
- Make bird feeders from plastic bottles. This is a great way to upcycle and means you don’t have to pay a lot of money to purchase one. Did you know that bird-feeders can be a source of disease for our wild birds. Make sure to wash them out regularly with hot, soapy water, to avoid spreading disease.
- Sow wildflowers in a window box. Even if you don’t have a garden, a window-box sown with wild flowers is a great way to bring some food for pollinating insects, such as bees and hover flies.
- Make a pond. A source of water is really important for wildlife. Even a small pond in a garden (or yarden) can be beneficial to our local species.
- Leave a weedy, untidy area in your garden. Long grass, weeds, a little log-pile, a bug hotel can provide important hidey holes for insects and small mammals and birds. Don’t think of it as being a lazy gardener, think of it as being a conservationist!
The Countryside Code
It’s not always easy to know how to behave when interacting with nature, but in order to minimise our impact, there are some great tips in The Countryside Code. These both help us to stay safe, but also to have respectful interactions that minimise disturbance and impacts on wildlife. The latest champion for The Countryside Code is Shaun the Sheep (see video below). For more details, please visit The Countryside Code website.