Team-building and Volunteering

Working on the Wild Side

Employee volunteering with Norfolk Wildlife Trust is a fantastic opportunity for staff team building and personal development outside of the normal working environment. It is also a great, interactive way for companies to make a positive and practical difference to local wildlife.

We have a calendar of tasks suitable throughout the year. Full training on the use of tools will be given on the day, and expert Trust staff will be on hand at all times to supervise. A charge of £35 per person for Investors in Wildlife members and £50 for non members is made to cover our costs.

Investors in Wildlife John Innes Centre took part last year, when more than 40 scientists from the Department of Molecular Microbiology cast off their lab coats and took on practical conservation work at Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Lower Wood in Ashwellthorpe. The team consisted of ages ranging from 17 to 73, eleven nationalities, students, professors and even one Knight of the Realm. The task was to coppice a section of the wood. Coppicing is a method of woodland management which has been used for centuries to sustainably harvest timber but it also benefits wildlife as plants like early purple orchid, wood anemone, primrose and herb Paris respond to the light that floods into the cleared areas. Armed with bow saws, loppers and bill hooks, everyone worked very hard and enjoyed a well-earned lunch of sausages and baked potatoes cooked over a bonfire.



Last year, Investors in Wildlife HSBC spent a day at NWT Hickling Broad clearing a floating island of reed and sedge called a ‘hover’. They learned to use traditional tools including the maige (a type of straight scythe) and crome (a right angled fork). Angela Bedford from HSBC said: “Team building days with NWT offer the opportunity to go somewhere inspiring and do something completely different. Being out in the fresh air and the countryside makes you appreciate what a wonderful county we have – and makes life really special.”

At NWT East Wretham Heath, a mere was been rediscovered after 20 years and restored to its former glory, thanks to help from Investors in Wildlife Norwich Union volunteers.



Emily Nudd from Norwich Union said: “The feelgood factor from a day spent out on one of the reserves working hard is very rewarding both for team building and for team spirit. An all round excellent opportunity to get out of the office and get to know the team while putting something back into the community.’’

Director of Norfolk Wildlife Trust Brendan Joyce said: “Employee volunteering is a win-win situation both for the staff of local companies and for nature conservation in Norfolk. We are always hugely impressed with the effort our volunteers put in to help us with our crucial management habitat work.”

To discuss how your company, or the company you work for can get involved with employee volunteering, please call Jane Ryan on 01603 625540 or write to:
Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Bewick House, 22 Thorpe Road, Norwich, NR1 1RY.