Conservation Volunteer (Central Wolverhampton)

Canal & River Trust; Wolverhampton; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Join Canal & River Trust as a Towpath Task Force Volunteer! Help maintain and enhance our beautiful waterways through various conservation activities while engaging with the community. Enjoy a supportive team environment, the benefits of spending time outdoors, and opportunities to learn new skills.

Benefits

Spending time outdoors

Learning new skills with potential accreditation

Keeping fit

Meeting new and friendly people

Being part of a supportive team

Improvements to wellbeing

Qualifications

• Volunteers must be over 18 years old.

Responsibilities

• Perform day-to-day maintenance of the canal.
• Engage in heritage restoration activities.
• Clear litter and tackle graffiti removal.
• Contribute to environmental enhancements like hedgelaying.
• Assist in creating new access points and ramps.

Skills

Willingness to learn new skills

Ability to travel to remote locations

Job description

Our local HQ at Minerva Wharf sits on an underused stretch of the Main Line Canal. Surrounded by an industrial landscape and building works, this stretch provides a surprisingly peaceful haven for both its human and wildlife visitors.

This part of our network needs lots of love and care from our volunteers and is overdue for some much-needed rejuvenation.

As a member of our Towpath Task Force, you will work alongside Trust operatives and Volunteer Lock Keepers managing vegetation (pruning, clearing, planting), clearing litter, and performing general maintenance tasks. You will also act as our eyes and ears, reporting any issues that need attention.

Highly visible members of the team, our Towpath Taskforce Volunteers are the friendly, helpful face of the Canal and River Trust, engaging with the public and making our waterways more welcoming.

This is a new session running on a midweek morning, with plans for weekend and summer evening sessions to involve the whole community. Existing volunteers enjoy making friends, staying active, and improving wellbeing.

Volunteers must be over 18 years old.

Why we want you

Our Conservator volunteers help maintain our network by carrying out heritage and nature conservation activities, as well as everyday tasks like painting and litter picking to improve the environment.

They help tackle tough issues on the waterways, ensuring accessibility and maintenance. Your support will help us manage our increasingly popular spaces and keep canals alive.

Some tasks are project-based, such as rebuilding stone walls or mass planting, allowing different people to contribute in various ways.

What you will be doing

1. Day-to-day maintenance
2. Heritage restoration
3. Graffiti removal
4. Environmental enhancements such as hedgelaying
5. Creating new access points with building or improved steps and ramps

When registering as a volunteer, we will ask about any unspent convictions to declare and assess risks accordingly.

The skills you need

• Willingness to learn new skills
• Ability to travel to remote locations

What's in it for you

• Spending time outdoors
• Learning new skills (some with external accreditation)
• Keeping fit
• Meeting new and friendly people
• Being part of a supportive team
• Seeing improvements to your wellbeing