A CEREMONY has celebrated the achievements of volunteers in conservation, land management and education across the county.
Wiltshire Wildlife Trust held the Volunteer Awards 2023 ceremony which was the first event since the pandemic three years ago and the evening was a huge success.
The Trust's new CEO, Joanna Lewis hosted the event and opened the ceremony by showing a video which summaries the many achievements made throughout the year and highlighted the volunteers vital contributions made to nature conservation and education in Wiltshire.
She said: “We have many amazing, dedicated volunteers, some of whom have worked with us for decades, bringing a huge amount of enthusiasm and offering a range of skills and experience. They are an inspiration to us all. Without them, we couldn’t achieve all that we do for wildlife and people.”
Since June 2022, 14,440 volunteering hours have been recorded by more than 1,500 volunteers for Wiltshire Wildlife Trust.
Work included wildlife surveying, litter picking, scrub clearance and coppicing at nature reserves and green spaces across Wiltshire, to river pollution monitoring and invasive plants removal from river banks.
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Volunteers also assisted Head Office staff with key administrative tasks and supporting the Trust’s education team, with more volunteers than ever before leading outdoor Wildlife Watch groups to help children and families engage with nature.
The winners of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust’s Volunteer Awards includes:
Volunteer Group of the Year
Biss Wood Volunteer Group
Volunteer Leader of the Year
Simon Wicks and Trudy Lewis
Young Volunteer of the Year
Tyron Holmes
Volunteers of the Year
Nathan Jenkyn, Phil Clarke, and Kat Bennett
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Debbie and Andrew Carter, who have been volunteering at Oysters Coppice nature reserve for more than 35 years.
The nomination said: "They have both shown exceptional dedication for more than 20 years as reserve wardens and task leaders at Oysters Coppice nature reserve, in addition to another 15 years before as volunteers.
"Now, they continue to assist the current task leaders and warden, with kindness and attention to all new and old volunteers. They are incredibly kind and knowledgeable yet humble people.”
For more information about volunteering opportunities or to register, visit wiltshirewildife.org
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