In celebration of the publication of my book The Volunteers: A memoir of Conservation, Companionship and Community (Summersdale 2024) I would like to invite you to experience the joys of volunteering for yourself by exploring my list of the five best organisations to volunteer for in the UK.
TCV offered me my first every professional conservation job and have long been the standard bearers for volunteering. They were also ahead of their time at being an inclusive organisation. TCV run hundreds of volunteer projects across the UK including the Green Gym where you can get fit and make friends while doing anything from edible gardening to dry stone walling
Not just for birders. When I was 21 I spent two life changing weeks guarding an osprey nests from egg collectors on the RSPB’s Loch Garten reserve. I came away knowing I wanted a career in conservation. The RSPB are one of the few organisations to still offer short term residential volunteer opportunities. You could find yourself at the tip of Kent wardening the RSPB Dungeness reserve or monitoring bittern in the reedbeds at Blacktoft Sands.
An off grid, sustainable, Christian community tucked away on the atmospheric coastline of Essex. I can’t recommend a visit to Othona enough. It is a place to find a warm welcome, excellent conversation and a sense of peace and community. There is no need to be religious, just respectful and it’s regular working weekends offer something for all levels of fitness.
An international organisation for cultural exchanges. Here’s how it works. You volunteer to help out the host community and in return you get free accommodation and food. My experiences took me from supporting a basket maker on the Island of Eigg in Scotland to building an earth ship in the backwoods of Florida.
5. Your Local Volunteer group
There are so many local organisations that would love you to join them from your the Wildlife Trusts to Country Park rangers. Volunteering outdoors is fabulous for making friends, feeling a sense of purpose and putting life’s worries into perspective. Make a commitment to be part of something today and read The Volunteers to find out more.
