30 years of volunteers at the Gatwick Greenspace Partnership

, 14 August 2024
30 years of volunteers at the Gatwick Greenspace Partnership
Waterlea Meadow volunteer © Kevin Lerwill

As the project celebrates its 30th anniversary, Kevin Lerwill, Gatwick Greenspace Partnership Project Officer, tells us about his experience of volunteering and working with volunteers

I started with the Gatwick Greenspace Partnership in 2008 and it has been my pleasure and privilege to have been responsible for leading our conservation volunteers for the past 16 years. Before this, I supported the Horsham Green Gym and other community groups in Horsham for Horsham District Council for several years. And before this, I was a volunteer myself and I think that experience has helped me appreciate the dedication and sacrifice that our regular volunteers make and we can’t begin to thank them enough for all their dedication and hard work over the years, come rain or shine.

Goffs Park volunteers © Kevin Lerwill

Our project has been supported by hundreds, if not 1000s, of volunteers over the past 16 years, including many corporate groups and although many of the volunteers that I started with at the GGP have now moved on and the face of our volunteers may gradually change, I believe that the main reasons why people volunteer with us remain the same.

  • They care about the natural environment will always want to make it better than it is.
  • They enjoy doing practical tasks will instinctively want to join in with local opportunities when there is the chance to do so.
  • Those who may lack regular social contact look for local opportunities to join in with like-minded people.
  • People who find comfort and solace in nature will always want to give something back whenever and wherever they can.

These, I believe, the main reasons why people want to volunteer with projects like ours and are also why the huge contribution that our volunteers make each year remains an essential part of our core aim; “To help improve our local green spaces for people and wildlife wherever we can”. I sincerely hope that, even in a small way, this blog will go some way to acknowledge the huge contribution that all our volunteers have made to our project over the past 30 years.

Kevin Lerwill © Miles Davies
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