Finding my “Tribe”

I was out of work in 1981. When I went to Job Centre for an interview, man said you haven’t got much on your CV have you? I if had all that spare time I’d go out an do something.
What are you doing with yourself in your spare time? Embarrassed silence and I left vowing by the time I saw him again I’d be doing lots, enrolled in pottery, computers and learning to drive, vaguely aware of voluntary work. I can’t remember how I ended up with the information but I had three phone numbers, three names. The first on the list was Stephen Lees, and simply because he answered the phone I ended up at BTCV. I got the information in April or May 1982, acted on it later, so in July(I think) July 4th I went on task with the Hollyvols, at Pig Lane in Tong, with Mick Lister, Andy Rawlins, Virginia Moulton and some others, clearing the side of an old cart track.
Mick Lister was a terrible snorer,. Andy Rawlins slept in a full chainsaw helmet because he was next to Mick on a residential to Malham, or Mick would wake up surrounded by boots that had been thrown at him.
I remember when I started I had not appreciated it was only the second task they had done. Steve was a stickler, I had put a fence post in and thought I had chocked it, but Steve came along and kicked it, and of course it moved so I had to take it out and do it again. Basically you upped your game
Joining BTCV being like ‘finding my tribe’.. one day driving up to Hetchell Woods the van suddenly drew to a halt, I wondered why and then several people left out of the van, books in hand to identify a flower. I had the sudden revelation, that there were people in the world more nerdy than me.
One great boost to my confidence was realising that after only a few weeks that I was seen as the experienced volunteer and was being asked how to do things by other people. Steve persuaded me to do Leadership Training and got me to take charge of a group, I then realised that I could do it. Steve also encouraged me to socialise a bit more – he asked why I was rushing off every night, was it to a really important or interesting activity. I realised that I was not really running off to anything special, but was simply feeling anxious around lots of new people, but when I realised I could chose to stay and that these people wanted me to join them that was a also a huge confidence boost.
Bob (Robert) who did all the carpentry at Hollybush, went to Kiplin to-do the woodwork in the Apple Loft, Patrick was one of the team who went up too, he spent a freezing winter living up there, setting up Circuits of Working Holidays. Patrick eventually worked as a charge hand for the council tree nursery.
I came back to Leeds from Kiplin and the JobCentre kept asking me to apply for things, gave me a job advert and I had to go to the interview, I was offered the job, and £10 extra per week because they found out I had led things, but it was awful. I had only led volunteers and not older unemployed men who really did not want to be there. I got involved in the Sunday group and weekend residentials and that kept me going.
I went off and worked for himself for a bit as a gardener, and was starting to realise I was never going to be very successful as I was not good at charging people lots of money, when Bridget [Robinson] came to him. Steve Jesson, who had run the tree nursery and garden at Hollybush had left (to work on a country estate garden), and Bridget said, you are going to apply for the job, aren’t you?…
Things in the Nursery grew gradually, with people asking for other types of plants, and I realising we could grow and sell wildflowers, then pond plants. Gradually a small implementation team grew out of me offering advice and design suggestions to schools and eventually the (new) schools team was born.
Ian Downham arrived to do a training course at Hollybush not long after he had started at Wirksworth as a VO. Ian had experience of working in the horticulture industry and before the day was out as switched allegiance, coming to Hollybush as a volunteer to help me set up the wildflower growing systems in the first polytunnel in the garden.
I once featured in a BBC magazine ‘my day’. When Stuart Harris, who eventually got Patrick’s job, joined us as a minimum wage trainee it turned out Stuart had read the article and thought ‘that would be my dream job someday’.
Patrick Crowley Volunteer, VO, Field Officer, Tree Nursery/Wildlife Garden and Schools Project Officer 1991-2001 Oakwell Hall Ranger 2001-2017 Volunteer Coordinator Batley & Spen Kirklees Council