Roots (Winter 2013)

The Conservation Volunteers

Supporter Magazine Winter 2013 | Reclaiming green places since 1959

JOIN IN, FEEL GOOD.

Skelton-henge

Walk on the Wildside with Skelton Grange

CATCH UP WITH THE NEWS FROM OUR GREEN HUBS

Green Gyms for year round fitness Wildlife in Winter

www.tcv.org.uk

Trees for everyone!

Most of us will have wonderful memories of at least one special tree.

Trees we played around as children; trees we grew from seeds; apple trees; conker trees; trees with faces and ones under which we sheltered from the rain.

The TCV shop offers a wide range of trees from which you can select a perfect gift or feature for your garden.

www.tcv.org.uk/shop

Turn over a new leaf this year and become a volunteer!

There’s no better way to start a new year than getting out and about with other friendly people, taking care of your local environment. To find a volunteer group near you visit www. tcv.org.uk/volunteering

1 1 Join in, feel good

Dig out your old mobile phones and help raise cash for TCV… For every one recycled TCV will receive a cash donation. Simply label your old phone ‘TCV’ and post it to: TCV c/o SHP for Charity!

Julie Hopes, CEO

Inside this issue 1 Recycle your Mobile Phones 2 Letter from Julie Hopes, CEO 3 Green Hubs 5 Big Green Weekend 2012 7 Holidays 8 Get Fit with a Green Gym 9 Get Involved

A Warm Welcome to Julie Hopes

10 Taking Care of the Birds

In November 2012 The Conservation Volunteers were delighted to welcome Julie Hopes, previously General Insurance Managing Director at Tesco Bank, as Chief Executive Officer.

On her appointment Julie commented, “I am proud to be joining The Conservation Volunteers and becoming part of an organisation that has such a positive impact on people and communities across the UK. I’m also excited to be leading The Conservation Volunteers at such a critical time for the organisation and when public interest in volunteering and conservation issues continues to gain pace. I look forward to working with the hugely passionate team to help encourage even more people to look after their own green places.”

Julie has always been interested in the social agenda having grown up helping her family care for her learning disabled brother. She is also a keen gardener and vegetable grower so will be taking a huge interest in all our community groups and their work.

Big Green Weekend 2012

The Conservation Volunteers www.tcv.org.uk 2

including a heron and a kestrel, offers a unique teaching space at the centre as well as a calm space for visitors to enjoy.

The stone circle is just one part of ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, a project funded by a grant from Groundwork UK and The Big Lottery Fund’s Community Spaces programme.

SKELTONHENGE STONE CIRCLE Leicestershire Volunteers turn TV Stars The Conservation Volunteers have led an enthusiastic community group in creating a new stone circle at Skelton Grange Environment Centre in Leeds. The large stones were moved and secured using only hand tools such as rollers and levers giving the team a real insight into how ancient monuments must have been constructed thousands of years ago. The stone circle, which contains carvings of local wildlife, 3 Join in, feel good

When Julie Bradbury and Countryfile visited Leicestershire, a group of our volunteers were on hand to help her get to grips with the art of coppicing. The volunteers spent nearly 4 hours on site and were filmed whilst going about their work.

Clive Forty, Leicestershire and The National Forest Projects Officer, was interviewed by Julia Bradbury before going on to take part in a tree planting challenge on the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Woodland at Normanton le Heath. Clive and his team of 10 National Forest Volunteers did very well to take first place after planting 685 saplings in just one hour.

WINS AWARD

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has awarded NHS Gloucestershire and The Conservation Volunteers the ‘Nature Works Workers Award for the Business that Most Effectively Encourages Employee Volunteering to Support Nature’. This award was made in recognition of the TCV Green Gym at Cirencester Hospital.

Spending time outdoors in green spaces is extremely important for health and well-being.

This Green Gym has helped the hospital to promote outdoor exercise to both staff and the local population. To discover more about TCV Green Gyms, turn to page 8.

GREEN FLAG DAY AT RAILWAY FIELDS LOCAL NATURE RESERVE The Big Green Weekend was extra special at Railway Fields in Haringey. On a sunny Sunday in October over 400 people visited the site to take part in a wide range of activities including building a habitat ‘skyscraper’ for insects.

There was also a very special ceremony to raise the new Green Flag and celebrate the site retaining its Green Flag status for another year, all thanks to the hard working volunteers based at the site.

For more news check out our website www.tcv.org.uk/news

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A VERY MESSY BIG GREEN WEEKEND 2012!

Early in October 2012 we held our second Big Green Weekend. With events taking place across the country and Europe, local families and supporters turned out to celebrate our conservation work. In Kent the kids got messy making bird feeders and fat balls to put in their gardens; in Staffordshire there was face painting and snail racing and in Scotland the children got to try their hands at pond dipping.

5 Join in, feel good

The sun shone over Ormeau Park in Belfast where families flocked to learn more about their local environment and wildlife by hunting for mini-beasts and building bug hotels. At Minsteracres in County Durham visitors had the chance to try their hands at willow weaving and dry stone walling, they even had the thrill of watching a working horse logger and meeting Otis the barn owl.

Heaton Park Farm in Manchester also had willow weaving on offer, along with green wood working and a tree identification and fungi walk.

One of the highlights of Bristol’s Big Green Weekend were the musical performances by local musicians which provided entertainment for visitors enjoying tree hat making and animal home making.

In Cornwall over 70 volunteers got together to offer locals the chance to make dens, take part in A Green Gym session, race snails and make hotels for bugs, small mammals and birds. And as ever, Hollybush and Skelton Grange in Leeds came together to put on a great event and lots of activities including the chance to see a cycling smoothie making bike!!

If you’d like to get in early and be involved in Big Green Weekend for 2013, register your interest at bgw@tcv.org.uk

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Holidays that Change the World

With Christmas behind us and the days so cold, its time to plan an exciting holiday. Something to look forward to. Holidaying with The Conservation Volunteers means meeting new people, making new friends, enjoying physical work during the day and laughing the evenings away in beautiful scenery.

We have lots of inspirational breaks to choose from.

£580 for 10 days conservation work in beautiful Andalucia

£690 for two exciting weeks tree planting in Cameroon

£360 for 13 days in the stunning glacial landscape of Iceland THERE ARE ALSO OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEND YOUR HOLIDAY IN ITALY, PORTUGAL AND SLOVAKIA.

ngland g break in E in rd a w re a For k Dry a short brea why not try nal g in the Natio Stone Wallin hsweep eeklong Beac Forest or a w f Scilly? in the Isles o 7 Join in, feel good

For more information and to book your place visit the online shop at www.tcv.org.uk/shop

2013 - MAKE IT YOUR YEAR TO GET FIT WITH A

It’s a new year and we are all making resolutions to take more exercise and improve our health. But gym memberships can be expensive and we don’t all relish the prospect of stripping off and getting sweaty in front of a room full of strangers. That’s why The Conservation Volunteers Green Gym® is the perfect solution for so many.

The Conservation Volunteers are currently working with Mind and Walk England, on a project funded by the Department of Health. People in Doncaster, Norwich and Hastings are taking part in local walks and conservation volunteering as a way to get fit and feel good. Activities include tree planting, building footpaths and creating ponds.

“Being active in green spaces is a great way to unwind and get away from the stress of everyday life. Both walking and conservation volunteering have been proven to benefit physical and mental health. The added bonus is that you’re making a difference to your environment as well as your health”

There are Green Gyms across the Yvonne Hunt, Development Manager. country, and anyone can join. Each session starts with warm up exercises and a discussion about the work that the team will be undertaking that day.

Instead of staring at four walls you will be outdoors, chatting to other members of your team while taking part in important conservation work in the fresh air. Everyone works at their own pace and no one will ask you to do more than you feel comfortable with.

Best of all, its free exercise that will boost your fitness, your mental health and your self-esteem.

So what are you waiting for?

Find a Green Gym near you by visiting www.tcv.org.uk/ greengym/findgreen-gym

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Get involved…

Our friends and volunteers never cease to amaze us with their innovative and adventurous fund raising ideas.

We would love to support more of you with any ideas you might have. To get involved just email supportus@tcv.org.uk and we will help you in any way we can.

Max Holmes

Hollybush’s Walk of Triumph A sponsored walk from Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds helped a team from Hollybush Green Hub to raise over £500 for their catering fund. Walkers had the choice of three scenic walks of up to 11km and the 15 people taking part were able to enjoy a wonderful sunny day and great exercise. The money will go towards the purchase and installation of a catering cooker that can be used to cook meals for large events, bake lots of cakes and boil up delicious jam. Well done to all those who took part in the walk, it was well worth the effort.

9 Join in, feel good

SUPPORT MAX AS HE PREPARES TO RUN THE BRIGHTON MARATHON

In March of this year, Max Holmes is running the Brighton Marathon to raise money for The Conservation Volunteers.

When asked what had spurred him on to take part, this is what he had to say…

“I want to run to challenge and focus myself and to thank TCV for all the opportunities and help they have given me. They really have helped to change my life around. I now have structure, confidence and routine in my life, whilst gaining a qualification and meeting friendly, positive people. I feel if I complete the challenge of training and running the marathon it will mark a turning point in my life. Two years ago I was on the streets, homeless, very ill and had not been in work for five years.

“I now volunteer three days a week, am safely housed and working towards a healthy future both physically and mentally,as well as a qualification in conservation and perhaps a career in the environmental field. Completing the marathon for TCV will be the icing on the cake for me.”

Max would appreciate your support.

To sponsor him visit http:// uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MaxHolmes To donate £3 text ‘TCV Max’ to 70444

WINTER BIRDCARE

TOP TIPS

As well as keeping ourselves warm and safe over winter, it’s important not to forget about our wild bird friends. The harsh weather makes it very difficult for birds to find food and top up their fat supplies. This is where we all can help.

Their natural food supplies are covered in ice and sometimes snow, which makes it almost impossible for the birds to feed and it’s for this reason wild birds will seek sanctuary in our gardens.

The team here at The Conservation Volunteers prepare for these wonderful visitors by stocking up on meal worms, fat balls, peanuts, seeds and grain. They also love household scraps including leftover grated cheese, porridge oats, cooked rice and pasta.

Something that is often overlooked is the importance of ensuring the birds have a source of drinking water. Water often freezes overnight and can take hours to thaw, we would recommend that you check the water every morning, remove any ice and top up with fresh water. Some people like to add twigs to water bowls as this can reduce the risk of water freezing over but DO NOT use antifreeze products as this will kill birds.

To find a range of professionally designed bird feeders like the one on this page, visit The Conservation Volunteers’ online shop at www.tcv.org.uk/shop

A useful way of enjoying the winter sunshine is to clean out nest boxes in preparation for the new breeding season. As well as cleaning out any debris it is a good idea to pour boiling water over the box, this will help kill parasites. Once the box has dried out you can re-hang it in your garden in plenty of time for spring.

Keep warm and thank you for taking care of the birds!

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HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT US Donate - Whether you want to make a one-off or a regular gift, your support will help fund practical conservation work that makes Britain a greener, better place.

Volunteer - If you have the time, then we have the tools. Join us and make a difference to an area near you while learning new skills, enjoying the benefits of nature and forming new friendships.

Holidays - Choose from an extensive range of conservation holidays, in the UK and worldwide and enjoy the experience of a lifetime.

Shop - From books to bulbs to boots, you’ll find a huge variety of goods to help you improve your own garden or the local environment.

Recycle - If you have an old mobile phone, used printer cartridges or even an unwanted car we can help you get rid of them and get some money back for The Conservation Volunteers!

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N! IT O HIS S S PA GIVE T SE OR PLEA RIENDS AD TO F Y TO RE .

IL FAM TER YOU F A

FINALLY

THANK YOU‌

for all your support throughout 2012, we hope you will continue to support us throughout 2013!

VISIT US AT www.tcv.org.uk/ giving/donate

The Conservation Volunteers Sedum House Mallard Way Doncaster DN4 8DB Email: information@tcv.org.uk Telephone: 01302 388 883 www.tcv.org.uk For all fundraising enquiries please contact the Fundraising Administrator, Rachel Parker who will be able to assist you further T: 01302 388845 E: supportus@tcv.org.uk - Thank you for supporting The Conservation Volunteers.

The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) is a trading name of BTCV Registered Charity in England (261009) and Scotland (SC039302). Registered in England as a limited company No. 976410

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The Conservation Volunteers