Conservation Volunteer (Wednesday work party)

Canal & River Trust; Huddersfield; On-site; GBP 10,000 - 40,000; Part time

Job summary

A community-focused trust is seeking Conservator Volunteers to maintain the Huddersfield narrow canal. Volunteers will perform tasks such as maintenance, graffiti removal, and heritage restoration, contributing positively to the local environment and community. This role is open to all and emphasizes inclusivity and accessibility while providing opportunities to learn new skills outdoors.

Benefits

Spending time outdoors

Learning new skills

Meeting new and friendly people

Being part of a supportive team

Responsibilities

• Perform day-to-day maintenance of the canal
• Engage in heritage restoration activities
• Conduct graffiti removal
• Participate in environmental enhancements
• Create new access points

Skills

Willing to learn new skills

Ability to travel to remote locations

Job description

Overview

Join us today to become a Conservator Volunteer and be part of the team keeping the Huddersfield narrow canal alive by preserving our waterways and maintaining this beautiful stretch of canal. In this role you’ll get to experience a range of tasks and help maintain our structures and assets. This is an open to all opportunity with a focus on accessibility and inclusivity, working with young people from Kirklees College and adults with neurodiverse conditions. Whether it’s working on pre-planned maintenance cutting back vegetation along the towpath, or drystone walling and repairing fences, our Conservators do a fantastic job of making sure there’s plenty of beauty on the doorstep. This is a great opportunity to make a huge difference in your community whilst learning more about the canals in your area.

Why we want you

Our Conservator volunteers help to maintain our network, carrying out important heritage and nature conservation activities as well as everyday tasks to improve the local environment such as painting or litter picking. Our Conservator Volunteers help to tackle some of our toughest issues on the waterways, ensuring as much of the canal is accessible and well maintained as possible. Each year we face new challenges in managing our increasingly popular space and your support as a Conservator Volunteer will help to achieve our goals in keeping canals alive. Whilst we have regular teams carrying out important tasks, some run on more of a ‘project’ basis to achieve specific activities (rebuilding a section of stone wall or carrying out some mass planting) meaning that different people can give their time in different ways.

What you will be doing

• Day to day maintenance
• Heritage restoration
• Graffiti Removal
• Environmental enhancements such as hedgelaying
• Creating new access points by building or improved steps or ramps
• When you register as a volunteer, we will ask you about any unspent convictions which you need to declare and risk assess these as needs be.

The skills you need

• Willing 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 of colleagues and volunteers
• Seeing improvements to your wellbeing