It's Volunteers Week and we're celebrating the fantastic contribution of our volunteers by sharing a number of their experiences and stories. Today we meet Paul Welford, a Task Day Leader who has volunteered for the National Park for the last nine years.
How long have you been volunteering with the North York Moors National Park?
Nine years, six as a Task Day Leader (TDL). Being a TDL is a role you can volunteer for in which you lead a group of volunteers, organising and running the task out in the field. The National Park provides good training and all the resources. Not everyone would want to commit to this role but it suits me.
Why did you decide to begin volunteering?
After retirement, to do something that I like doing that would benefit the local and wider community. Also keep me fit and active.
What have you enjoyed most about your time volunteering?
Getting involved in activities that I enjoy doing. For me this is largely, though not exclusively, practical activities outdoors. Meeting like minded people. Getting that sense of satisfaction from a successful task. For example, after you have just spent all day digging two deep holes, put in two large gateposts, hung and levelled the gate – standing back and looking at your creation! You know it’s going to be there for a long time.
What benefits have you experienced personally?
I think this is a part of volunteering that you notice more after you’ve been doing it for a while. By that, I mean, you can look back over the tasks and activities you have contributed to and see the difference it makes.
I’ve been involved in maintenance and conservation for most of the time. For example, I have worked with my conservation group in lots of places where I can see the changes over time. At Cawthorn Roman Camp, an important archaeological site, my conservation group have returned year on year to remove and cut back regenerative growth, brambles, scrub etc. and now it is easily possible to see the large area we’ve kept clear so that all the ancient earthworks and ditches can clearly be seen.
Do you have any stories you could share about your time volunteering?
Not everyone would want to be a Task Day Leader but if you do take on the role there are a lot of plusses. One is the opportunity to see a task right through, e.g. building a new footpath, maintaining a section of footpath or building a dry-stone wall. Another is working with a group of like-minded people who all share the same aims but each bringing different skills and perspectives to the work. Also, and this is not to be underestimated, there is for me a sense that I am helping to give something back to nature and contributing to peoples’ experience of natural history and the countryside generally. We have lost so much of our historic natural environment in recent decades and it matters to me that I can put something back, however small, to preserve our native countryside from decline. Everyone talks about it but I’m happy to get the chance to do something about it; this is a bond that most of the volunteers share.
With respect to dry-stone walling, I lead a group of enthusiastic and skilled volunteers. We have recently spent 3 years completely rebuilding a section of dry-stone wall over 150m long which constitutes a field boundary at least 170 years old! The volunteers all felt a tremendous satisfaction at having reconstituted this wall; and you can imagine the sense of achievement and camaraderie as we carried out the task. This same group are now working on a shorter (80m) but equally important new section of wall at another location in the National Park.
Would you recommend volunteering (with your organisation or generally) to others?
Obviously, I would recommend volunteering with the National Park because of my love of the land and the outdoors. For people who are fit and want to be active there are a range of activities to suit everyone’s physical abilities. But volunteering in general is definitely a way to do something you feel passionate about, whatever the focus. The great thing is, you can choose exactly what that is and also how many hours you want to contribute. Plus, it’s a chance to meet people with similar enthusiasm to yourself and also to gain further skills.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Just do it, probably sums up my approach. If it’s what you want to do - great. If not, at least you’ve checked it out.