A Volunteer Perspective
Mark Gollins
"I started volunteering when I was made redundant from a local factory and from day one I can honestly say “I loved it” - in fact I think it was the most enjoyable work I have ever done. The work was varied and you never really knew what you would be doing from day to day.
"As well as the variety of work and new skills learnt you have the opportunity to meet people from different backgrounds to yourself who you would never meet in your own circle of friends.
"I have also found the staff of the Broads Authority to be very helpful and knowledgeable and always ready to answer my questions about wildlife, however silly they may be! All staff that I have worked with really love what they are doing.
"So if you like working outdoors, do not mind getting a bit muddy and enjoy meeting new people, then I recommend that you give it a go, you never know what it may lead to."
Irene Woodward, Auxiliary Navigation Ranger
“I go out most Fridays with the Ladies Group. We find ourselves working with the conservation, countryside or projects teams. We concentrate mainly on clearing and maintaining footpaths, but we also clear reeds, and young alder and willow scrub which would otherwise threaten to overwhelm the delicate Broads environment by blocking out sunlight to the less aggressive plants that wildlife depends on.
"I attended a training course last winter so that I can use a brushcutter (similar to a petrol driven strimmer but bigger and with a metal blade), which speeds up the work no end. Using the brushcutter is hard work and hot, as I have to wear a helmet with hearing and eye protection, thick gloves and steel reinforced work boots. Very glamorous! In many cases the vegetation that has been cut down has to be burnt, so all those fire-building skills I learned years ago as a Girl Guide have finally found a use.
"I was also keen to get on the water so I applied to be an auxiliary navigation ranger (ANR) in 2004 and have had lots of training to enable me to go out with one of the launches. The main purpose of the ANR role is to help increase the Broads Authority visibility at busy times and provide additional points of help and advice. We have to be competent boat handlers, and first aid and VHF radio training are also required. I have completed my RYA level 2 National Powerboat Certificate. In addition to this we attend a day and a half training each month.”
Trevor Mills, Auxiliary Navigation Ranger
"I retired from a 33 year career with British Telecom. In mid-2005 my personal life changed dramatically and I found myself with lots of spare time. I decided I wanted to do something which I enjoyed, was outdoors and associated with nature, but at the same time give something back to the countryside and the community. Enquiries led me to the Broads Authority and I decided that working in the Broads could be for me.
"To date my work has more than satisfied my requirements. It has enabled me to see areas of the Broads I did not know existed, wildlife I only dreamt of seeing, bittern (three so far), kingfishers (almost on a daily basis), and many more different birds and evidence of wildlife I would not see if I had not joined the Broads Authority as a volunteer.
"My conservation work has been varied and helped me to understand what is entailed in maintaining and preserving the ecology, landscape and various crafts, such as reed-cutting, which are very important features of the Broads.
"I have recently successfully completed an extensive auxiliary navigation ranger's training schedule, which included a certificated first aid course, and a level 2 Royal Yachting Association course. This allows me to use the Broads Authority rigid inflatable boat and the auxiliary navigation rangers' launch. During my training I have participated in litter clearing along the River Yare at Norwich, assisted in the monitoring of the recovery of a sunken boat and taken part in an oil spill exercise.
"The people I have met, both volunteers and staff, are a pleasure to work with and have helped me through a very difficult time in my life. I hope my association with them has been as useful to them as it has been to me, and I am sure this will continue in the future."
