Hello! Welcome to the Wiltshire Wildlife Conservation Volunteers. Volunteers carry out a wide range of tasks that helps to maintain and improve conditions for wildlife in Wiltshire. Work includes using traditional tools and skills to enhance the Wiltshire landscape. No previous practical experience is necessary. Just come along and we will provide the help and training you need. Tasks are open to anyone. They provide a great opportunity to develop new skills, make new friends and learn more about management of the countryside.

People have managed land for thousands of years and there is now very little that has not been altered in some way in the United Kingdom. Traditionally, the food that we ate and many of the materials that we used came from the natural and farmed environment in Britain. With technological advances, especially in the twentieth century, many of the traditional management practices that we once used on the land have become outdated and uneconomic. This is especially so in farming and forestry. Methods that had been used for hundreds of years can no longer be sustained.

Thankfully, the various conservation bodies realised that the loss of habitat that we had created and the wildlife that inhabited it was under threat; so organisations were set up to counter that threat. The WWCV is one of these organisations and we undertake work using traditional management skills and practices to maintain these important sites. This is often labour-intensive and uneconomic in modern terms but is vitally important in helping to maintain areas that have been identified as critical for wildlife.

Most tasks take place during the winter months from the end of September to the end of March. We meet on Saturdays and Sundays, and on Wednesdays during the week.

During the summer months, tasks are often arranged at short notice and volunteers who are free during the week carry out the work when necessary.

Each task has a qualified leader who is responsible for what we do, providing tools and equipment and ensuring safety. If you are attending for the first time they will introduce you to the team, provide you with the tools for the job, show you how to use them safely and guide you through the work. Each task will also have a qualified first-aider on hand, although they are very rarely called upon.

During the winter months a lot of the work will be cutting back scrub to reduce encroachment and coppicing, although other work will also be done. During the summer months, volunteers may be needed for tasks such as keeping nature trails clear, maintaining seats and steps, or removing fallen branches.

We have tasks all over the county of Wiltshire. Whilst many of the sites are managed by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust we do work on sites managed by other organisations such as Woodland Trust, National Trust and Natural England. Our map on the Sites page shows the location of all the sites we are scheduled to work on this winter. This page has all the details of the tasks involved.