I first saw the Conservation Volunteers from Hollybush when they were doing Kirkstall Festival and I think I’ve been with them about 7 years now. I just got chatting with them there. I can’t recall what they said to me, I think I just had a brief chat with them but I saw the things that they were doing which interested me, which was mainly on the woodworking side and I just picked up all the flyers about the other aspects of it and I think that was the main thing that interested me, you know the gardening element, not necessarily on the conservation side.
I was interested in wood work and that was the main thing that I came along for, but I got involved in the gardening to start with, and that’s the main thing that I’ve been involved with ever since, helping with the gardening group and also with the wildlife walking group which I do on a Monday. I drive the minibus, which is another thing that they’ve managed to do for me while I’ve been here, get me driving minibuses and qualified and so forth. I support the project officer, sort of like a volunteer officer, or key volunteer, or whatever you want to call it. So I just sort of help setting things up and supervising some of the volunteers, you know, make sure they’re all safe and show them how to do things and stuff like that.
I was a little bit nervous the first day, which I appreciate a lot of the volunteers when it’s their first time coming to us you know, I know how I felt so I’m very understanding of that aspect of it and I try and support them as much as I can. So yeah, I will say the first day I was a little bit on edge, but such friendly people, I soon was put at my ease and I enjoyed it. I think my first day I just really started off with the gardening group and learning the ropes so to speak, I knew a little bit about gardening, I’m not a qualified gardener, but it’s something I’ve enjoyed, quite a big part of my life, so I didn’t hit the ground running so to speak, because you have to do things their way, but the first day it was alright, I enjoyed it, I don’t think I’d have stayed this long if I didn’t enjoy coming here you know.
On that particular day there was another group doing ‘balsam bashing’ and they were wanting volunteers to go and do the balsam bashing (laughs) just down by the river there. There was only me and one other person that went so I thought well yeah, I’m enjoying this so, it’s all part of conservation you know, balsam bashing, it’s such an invasive plant, it’s just pulling up the plants before they mature and set seed, so you’re getting them as early as you can just to prevent them being so invasive. You get them mainly by waterways, but you can get them anywhere – I saw some, quite a bit when we were on a walk last Monday. So it can get anywhere, you know it’s airborne seeds, it’s just going to land. It sort of narrows your river banks and and everything like that.
I think one of the things I really enjoyed doing (at Hollybush), which is still here, is the ‘Bodgers Hut’. I was there right at the start of that when we went and felled the trees and floated them down the canal, and then we had to strip all the bark off. It’s such a rustic thing, and very basic woodwork, but it’s stood the test of time and it’s still standing, looking just as good as when we first put it up. I prefer to do that, see an end result. You know, when I start doing that. Same as any sort of job I’ve done, I always like to see an end result you know.
There’s quite a few things that I’ve learnt over the years here, they’ve put me through me MIDAS to drive the minibus I’ve also had first aid training, safeguarding skills, leadership skills. I’ve built my confidence up, because I’m a totally different person than I was when I came here seven years ago, you know. I was very nervous when I came here, it’s changed me for the better. Like anybody I’ll have off days but I think I’ve really benefitted from a lot of the things they’ve taught me here. Yes definitely, it’s certainly helped me in my personal life. If I could take anything away from here, I think it’s how they’re so accepting of everybody, they don’t judge and they’re always willing to help in whatever way they can and I’d like to think that’s something that I’d do for other people when I leave here.
Ralph Witty, Volunteer Officer at Hollybush since 2012
Written by Ralph Witty