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To assist the Rangers in conserving, enhancing and promoting the appropriate use and enjoyment of the area. Duties include habitat improvement and restoration, Removal of invasive and non-native species, Practical maintenance on fences, signposts, gates and paths and opportunities to be involved in species surveying and recording. This is a rewarding opportunity for someone who enjoys working outdoors on a variety of tasks.

The woodlands in and around Forres are highly valued community assets. Forres Community Woodlands Trust aims to utilise the potential of these woodlands to provide a wide range of community benefits. These include providing local people and visitors to the area with ready access to special places to enjoy peace and quiet, healthy exercise, education and recreation. Our vision, therefore, is to maintain and enhance the Trust’s woodlands as bio-diverse habitats which provide recreational and educational opportunities. Our volunteer activities take place mostly in our FCWT woods, that is either Sanquhar Wood or Muiry. On average we meet one Saturday morning each month from 10 to 12 o'clock and we carry out maintenance work, for example removing young foreign species with loppers and hand saws like rhododendron, sitka spruce or Douglas fir or we plant trees or cut back bracken. Our aim is to remove as many foreign species as possible and replace them with native trees.

Volunteers are vital to Brodie Castle. Helping inside the Castle or outside in the grounds and gardens -- volunteers are hugely important in enriching the visitor experience-- from the tea room to the shop to the gardens to the wonderful rooms inside the Castle, volunteers have a part to play. The castle has been restored to reveal what everyday life was like for the Brodie laird and his family. The rooms feature the finest antique furniture, works of art and irreplaceable ceramics collected by generations of Brodies. Outside, there are beautifully landscaped gardens with a large pond, a woodland walk, an adventure playground and a nature trail with hides for watching wildlife, including red squirrels and woodpeckers. There is also a renowned and historically important daffodil collection. Acres of gentle Moray countryside surround Brodie Castle, ancestral home of the Brodie clan for over 400 years. although their family seat has been here since the 12th century.

REAP is currently looking for 2 or 3 volunteers to help support upcoming gardening sessions at their Maryhill Therapeutic Garden in Elgin. Working alongside the REAP team, volunteers will help participants get involved in gardening activities, helping people to build their skills, confidence, and wellbeing. Therapeutic gardening is the use of garden space to improve and build resilience in mental health; to increase physical activity; develop social skills and encourage a healthier diet. REAP’s aim is to help participants improve their mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing through gardening and socialising in a beautiful, peaceful environment. Sessions are returning soon on February 11th and will run on a weekly basis on Tuesday afternoons 2-5pm or Friday mornings 10-12:30pm. Volunteers can help people take part in various gardening activities such as sowing seeds, learning about composting and harvesting vegetables to take home. There’s also a chance to socialise during the tea breaks! Volunteers will also be supported in their development by being offered training relevant to the project. If you are a friendly, patient person, able to engage with a wide variety of people, and can volunteer outside in a practical way, have an interest in gardening ( food growing or ornamental 😊 ), or even have skills that could help build a new garden bench!) please do get in touch with REAP, who will be very happy to tell you more about how to get involved. Tel 01542 888070

Volunteers of the Forth Valley Sensory Centre garden will be required to: -help to grow plants in the garden -support FVSC users to get involved in growing in the garden -help to maintain the garden so it is a nice place for people to use -help to ensure the garden is a sensory place for everyone to use -engage with other volunteers and FVSC users to ensure everything is looked after The overall objective of FVSC is to help people with a sensory impairment to lead as independent a life as possible. We are looking for volunteers with some gardening experience, who are reliable with good people skills. You will need to be patient and calm, with a positive attitude to people with a sensory impairment. You will be able to work with minimal supervision and be physically fit.

This role will require the volunteer to be enthusiastic about gardening and working with residents and staff in a creative and friendly manner. We would like to create a space for residents to enjoy and grow their own vegetables but also look at expanding the garden in more creative ways. Do you think you can help and give something back to the local community? What will I be doing? To help plant and maintain the gardens, main tasks include: • Planting, Pruning, Sowing Seeds, Weeding • Edging Borders, Digging, Ground Clearance, Grass Cutting What training will I receive? • ‘On the job’ training. • Optional training courses. How will I benefit from the role? The Volunteer Gardener role offers: • Opportunities to learn new gardening skills and gain more gardening experience. • Creating a haven for residents that have learning disabilities. • Opportunities to make new friends. • Satisfaction of helping to maintain the gardens. • Assisting staff and becoming part of a friendly care team that help vulnerable people. What skills, experience or abilities do I need? • Previous gardening experience or gardening knowledge. • Enthusiasm to work in the gardens and work with people who have learning disabilities. • Moderate level of fitness. All volunteers will have their expenses reimbursed and will receive a warm welcome to our Services.

We are seeking volunteers to assist with organising and supporting charity garden open days within our District Teams around Scotland. Our Area Organisers typically look after a number of gardens in a geographic area within your district. You will work closely with the District Organiser and liaise with Garden Openers to see that a good relationship is developed. You may also seek new gardens to open in your area Area Organisers also make sure that Garden Openers have adequate support on the day of their opening, including help with teas, car parking, taking money, etc, and provide signage and materials (supplied by Head Office) for the day to Garden Openers. This is a great way to meet new people and work within a lovely team of like-minded garden lovers.

To help you understand what is expected of this role, please read our Day In The Life Of Kim below, one of our volunteer Poorly Hen Carers... Every BHWT volunteer team has one or more poorly hen carers. In many of our farm collections there will be one or two hens that need an extra bit of TLC and some that need nursing or palliative care. The team collecting the hens from the commercial farm transport these “poorlies” in separate crates to ensure they don’t get injured on the journey back to the rehoming site, nor overlooked in the unloading process. Some poorly carers prefer to take hens with minimal problems; they may be a little bruised or limping and just need time. Others are more seriously challenged and require more help. Poorlies cannot be put in with other hens and need a dedicated coop or utility room where they can recover in peace. Those that cannot stand up I take into my house so I can keep a better eye on them, but they can be kept in a separate coop if you don’t want them in your home. Some need help eating but I always give them a chance to do this themselves before intervening. I soak pellets in critical care mix to see if they can eat and if they don’t then I’ll syringe feed critical care formula every two hours until they perk up. A lot of poorlies are dehydrated so after a few critical care feeds they start to feel better and will eat the soaked pellets. Occasionally a hen will need a warm bath if she is very soiled from being on a cage floor covered in muck. Most hens relax and quite enjoy the process, but some hate it and flap, so you may get wet. I will give arnica baths to help relaxation. For sore skin I use organic antiseptic tea tree cream which I rub in twice a day. I also use this for cuts and bruises. It doesn’t taste very nice so the hen won’t eat it and neither will the others. If a hen has a prolapse I bathe it in tea tree oil as it is a natural antiseptic. I normally keep hens inside to keep them clean but if they’re eating for themselves they can go outside in a separate coop. It’s important to keep prolapses clean, so twice a day I bathe or clean the prolapse with a damp tissue soaked in tea tree oil, until everything goes back in on its own, which can be a few days to a couple of weeks. Each hen is different. Some just want to be cuddled. Those with Peritonitis need a soft bed so they can nestle down in comfort. I have a large plastic laundry basket for this that I put plenty of layers in and make a hole for their tummy. The basket is also useful for very poorly hens as it gives them support and they can see out. I then carry it everywhere with me and so if I go outside they can see the sun. My poorlie hens always sleep in the house for the first night and some stay for longer until they are strong enough to go into a separate hen house and run, however, they can be kept outside as long as they are warm enough and are checked often. For comfort my poorlies sleep in a carry box that I line with numerous fleeces and tea towels. Once they’re on the mend I will put them out during the day and then bring them in at night. My separate hen house is next to the healthy hens' house so they can get used to seeing one another. I don’t usually allow them to mingle for the first two weeks, and even then I stand over them keeping watch. I do short intro sessions, sometimes holding them in while showing them to the other hens to familiarise them. I have ramps on the small low separate house so that those with bad legs and peritonitis can get in and out. Poorly Hen Carers need to be patient and flexible as each hen likes things done a different way. Ideally you need a few separate hen houses or an outbuilding where you can set up individual pens. Hens that have fully recovered can be rehomed in small groups; it is so rewarding seeing them go off to their new homes knowing that you've made a difference in a poorlie hen’s life.

We believe that everyone should be able access the outdoors in Scotland with confidence and there is great potential to improve the mapping of paths in Scotland, to help more people getting active and healthy and to feel confident to explore our wonderful nature and landscapes. That’s why we need you to help us to develop a pioneering Scotland-wide path network for the benefit of all. We need community path volunteers to get out and about in their local area and review existing paths and record new paths. The next step will be to develop new local routes for health, heritage, and nature to encourage people to get out and about and explore their local area.

Share knowledge and love of gardening by helping to plant, remove weeds, water, and suggest improvements within the garden. Or if you are a novice to gardening we could help to develop your gardening knowledge. Garden Helpers would be welcome as little or often as they wish with no notice or commitment required. Ideally, drop us an email at sbutterflyproject@gmail.com to say you have been and what you have done, or if you saw anything out of the ordinary while you were there. Gardening tools are available if requested.