Member Conservation Groups
The borough of Basingstoke and Deane has a wide array of sites of ecological interest that Natural Basingstoke member groups help to maintain, from chalk meadowland to ancient woodland, and with much fascinating wildlife, from protected newts to solitary bees – there’s so much to learn across just our local area!
Nature conservation is open to everyone, no special skills are needed to take part.
Conservation volunteers do everything from coppicing ancient woodland, planting wildflower meadows, maintaining ponds, to monitoring species on our sites. We need all sorts of people, including individuals who want to participate in hands-on conservation and those with supporting skills like fundraising experience, IT skills or proficiency with social media.
As well as helping promote biodiversity, volunteering is a great way to meet like-minded people, encounter wildlife, take exercise, and support mental wellbeing. But don’t just take it from us – see below what our volunteers have to say!
We also have kids join us and it is a joy to teach and train them early. From these work groups, children understand that we are not alone in this world and as humans, we have a responsibility towards maintaining our environment.
Its a great way to meet like-minded people and make new friends, and opens up opportunities to learn new practical skills such as coppicing and hedge-laying, as well as learning about the amazing diversity of our native Flora and Fauna.
Being part of a volunteer conservation group has enormous benefits to my mental health and overall wellbeing. I have a sense of pride in what we achieve and it gives me a sense of ownership in areas that we work in – its great to know that we are preserving our green spaces for future generations to enjoy (people and wildlife!)
We always find cool creatures and plants to learn about. All the other volunteers are really friendly. I’ve learnt lots of new skills, including how to use tools safely. I like seeing how the area we’ve worked on looks better when we’ve finished.
The map gives a rough indication of where each of the conservation groups below operates, sometimes on one green space, sometimes on several in the area.
What’s your local group? Plug in your postcode and a radius into our map below to find out!
