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Waxcaps will be resurveyed again later this year, looking for those poorly understood undisturbed grassland loving mushrooms again. This is independent voluntary activity with folks going out with an app or other survey stuff and recording any waxcapps they see within the Cairngorms National Park for us. Please contact us for more information if this interests you.

We are hoping to improve our understanding of mountaintop habitats while involving people in the process. The fungal DNA munro survey was really successful last year, and there is ambition to repeat and expand that this year, so there should be plenty of opportunity for keen walkers to volunteer for that again. We are also tentatively looking to design a mountain habitat assessment app, which will allow anyone who is walking in the mountains to provide useful scientific data on these understudied environments. Still early in development, but we may need volunteers to help test later in summer.

Twinflower and one-flowered wintergreen translocations: The intent is to help recovery of these 2 endangered pinewoods species by takings cuttings/plug plants and introducing them to new/currently occupied but struggling sites to help improve health of small isolated patchy populations. We’re well into this work now, having collected and grown on many twinflower cuttings already and surveyed one-flowered wintergreen sites. This summer we’ll be working with volunteers to complete our surveys and planning for reintroductions of both species. Then in Autumn, the hope is that we will be planting out cuttings of twinflower and perhaps also one-flowered wintergreen plants at some of the identified sites with volunteers.

We’re working with farmers, the national park, pastures for life, and nature friendly farming network, to trial a new grazing technique in the Spey valley. Very briefly, by concentrating grazing stock and moving them every few days, the sward should ideally have a chance to recover well and mature, reaching flowering and seed setting before being grazed again, which will ideally improve meadow diversity and health. Our part is to facilitate volunteer surveying of these meadows for at least this and next years to monitor the changes that come because of the new technique. So, we’re training volunteer up in meadow species ID and grassland habitat assessment and then partnering them up with farms to perform habitat surveys over several sessions in the summer months. Our training day for this is booked for the 3rd of June, with surveys likely to commence into August.

Enjoy being around horses? Want a safe, supportive place to learn new skills? Come and be a valued part of our friendly team! Expect to have lots of fun, make new friends and get outdoors! Stable Life provides a safe, nurturing and learning experience using the horse and its environment to help young people in the Scottish Borders reach their full potential, and become healthier and happier with aspirations and dreams. And we need your help! As a Stable Life Yard Volunteer your role would be to carry out general yard duties associated with the care, welfare and exercise of the horses. This may include: - Providing food and water - Replacing bedding - Exercising horses - Cleaning and maintaining tack and equipment - Grooming of horses - Mucking out stables - Maintaining cleanliness and tidiness of yard and fields - Creating an appropriate environment for our young people - Assisting staff with practical duties - Tacking and untacking horses - Any other appropriate duties as directed by the Yard Manager. We will not ask you to do anything you are uncomfortable with, or not trained to do. However, we have lots of opportunities for learning and up-skilling and some of our volunteers even go on to become paid staff members! We value our volunteers highly and you can expect benefits like access to free horse-riding (dependent upon number of hours volunteered), participation in volunteer award schemes (e.g. Saltire) and an annual volunteer celebration day. Our volunteer co-ordinator can also help you with job applications and personal statements for college/university. Volunteering on the yard is an important role at Stable Life, as a charity we rely on your support. You help to keep our horses happy and healthy, enable our young people to feel welcomed and safe and support our hard-working staff. Thank you for taking the time to consider this position.

Come and be a valued part of our friendly team! Expect to have fun, meet new people and get outdoors! A great opportunity to give back, upskill and boost your CV. Stable Life provides a safe, nurturing and learning experience using the horse and its environment to help young people in the Scottish Borders reach their full potential, and become healthier and happier with aspirations and dreams. And we need your help! As a Stable Life General Maintenance Volunteer your role would be to carry out general building and gardening duties. This may include: - Weeding - Mowing lawn - Painting - Digging - Odd jobs - Assisting staff with practical duties We will not ask you to do anything you are uncomfortable with, or not trained to do. However, we have lots of opportunities for learning and up-skilling and some of our volunteers even go on to become paid staff members! We value our volunteers highly and you can expect benefits like participation in volunteer award schemes (e.g. Saltire) and an annual volunteer celebration day. Our volunteer co-ordinator can also help you with job applications and personal statements for college/university. Volunteering is an important role at Stable Life, as a charity we rely on your support. You help to keep our horses happy and healthy, enable our young people to feel welcomed and safe and support our hard-working staff. Thank you for taking the time to consider this position.

Various volunteer roles are available: Collection Driver. Kitchen Assistants. Front of house service assistants. DIY jobs. Event Staff.

The Volunteer Ranger positions at Bowhill House and Grounds will involve working closely with the Learning and Engagement Ranger to help complete general maintenance tasks, improve estate infrastructure and complete Environmental Surveys. Role description: Working as part of a small team of volunteers led by the Learning and Engagement Ranger you will have opportunity to help with a variety of tasks on the Bowhill Estate. This will range from maintaining and expanding an extensive walks network, improving the interpretation offering on the walks, general maintenance of the woodlands including cutting back of rhododendron and clearing of storm damaged branches. There will also be opportunity to have some involvement in monitoring of flora and fauna on the estate.

We are looking for volunteers of all ages and backgrounds with enthusiasm being more important than experience. We have a variety of roles within Rowlands such as handy person, mini bus driver. Media and advertising or just people helping with the drop ins or workshops that we have running. We are happy for people to come once a week, once a month and are happy for people who would be willing to share a skill or experience for a little while as part of a programme of activities.

Stable Life's mission is to support young people in the Borders who are experiencing personal challenges in their lives. We offer weekly sessions at Dryden Farm and get great results. Can you help us keep our stables and garden maintained? Bring whatever skills you have! We need fences painted, lawns mowed, drains maintained and more. You will be working around vulnerable young people so a friendly and calm demeanor is important. Volunteer when it suits you.