Meet the Eastern Reserves Task Force Team
Meet our team! Here you will find a small introduction to the Durham Wildlife Trust Volunteers and Staff who manage Durham Wildlife Trust's Eastern Nature Reserves.
The Volunteers
Hi! We're the Rainton Meadows Task Force Volunteers. We come from all walks of life. A wild mix of youth and wisdom! We all volunteer on the Trust's eastern nature reserves. Some of us came to the Trust with a keen interest in wildlife, others amongst us wish to keep fit and active, and many of us wanted to meet new people and make new friends. We all enjoy the opportunity that volunteering with the Trust gives us to socialise, learn lots of new skills, and get close to nature!
The Volunteer Reserve Officers
Hello. We're Katherine and Laura. We volunteer three days a week for the Trust. The Volunteer Reserve Officer programme is a year long placement, where we gain the necessary experience and skills to pursue a career in nature conservation.
Katherine - "I have been a VRO with the Trust since June 2011, having graduated with a 1st in Geography from Northumbria University (I'm the brains of the whole operation!). Volunteering with the Trust is helping me build upon my degree course and strengthen my knowledge of nature conservation. I couldn't have picked a better outdoor classroom than the Trust nature reserves, and my class mates aren't too bad either!"
Laura - "I have been a VRO with the Trust since October 2011. I started at the Trust as a volunteer with Rainton Meadows and soon was fortunate enough to be recruited onto the VRO programme. As the newest VRO I always get the blame for everything that goes wrong or is broken even if I haven't done it!"
The Eastern Reserves Staff
Hi! We're Mark and Steve.
Mark - "I have been a Nature Reserves Officer with Durham Wildlife Trust since 2006, covering the Trust's Eastern Nature Reserves. It's a dream come true to be working alongside such a great group of people in some truly beautiful places.
Steve - "I have recently become the Reserves Assistant. I started at the Trust as a volunteer on the Rainton Meadows Sunday Gang and soon was fortunate enough to be recruited onto the VRO programme in November 2010. As well as recruiting new volunteers, I enjoy three days a week out on our nature reserves with our wonderful Volunteer Task Force. The volunteers come from such a wide range of backgrounds and the nature reserves are so diverse, I learn something new everyday, whether I want to or not!"
"Hi. I'm Mark Richardson. I have been the Reserves Manager with Durham Wildlife Trust since 1837. I oversee the management of all of the Trust's nature reserves. Here, I am leading the volunteer training day on the National Vegetation Classification. Judging by the mass of vegetation in my hands, there'll be no need to graze Raisby Hill Grassland this year!