PEOPLE in the Vale will get the chance to do their bit for the environment with the launch of a new evening volunteering programme.
This summer Heart of England Forest will run Afterhours Green Guardians, a two-year project designed to make conservation volunteering more accessible for working-age adults.
Supported by the National Heritage Lottery Fund from 2026 to 2028, the programme will offer practical conservation activities, heritage skills training and wildlife monitoring, helping 120 volunteers develop new skills while making a meaningful contribution to nature recovery.
It will provide flexible volunteering opportunities outside traditional working hours, enabling more people to get involved in caring for the forest’s woodlands, meadows, wetlands, and other important habitats.
Participants will learn traditional countryside skills, gain a deeper understanding of the area’s natural heritage, and play a direct role in protecting and restoring habitats across the historic Forest of Arden.
It builds on the success of a pilot evening volunteering initiative run by the charity, which demonstrated strong demand from people who are unable to volunteer during the day due to work, family, or caring commitments.
“We know that many people want to get involved in caring for nature but struggle to find opportunities that fit around modern life,” said Ben Toney, access and volunteer lead.
“This funding will help us remove those barriers, welcome new audiences into conservation volunteering, and create a lasting community of people who value and care for their local natural heritage.”
The Heart of England Forest charity is creating and conserving a vast, connected forest across Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
It will ultimately grow to be 12,000 hectares in size and the charity aims to plant 12 million trees to achieve this.
Volunteering locations include Dorsington, Honeybourne, Sheriffs Lench, and Luddington.
Visit heartofenglandforest.org/volunteer for more information.
