Below is an article written by one of our dedicated Conservation Volunteers, if you fancy joining us weekly on Thursdays or monthly on Sundays, please contact northern.sites@hants.gov.uk to find out more!
Hello There,
We are an enthusiastic group of volunteers (or “VOLS”…thanks Sam!), working, (very happily!), under the direction of our similarly dedicated Northern Sites Rangers.
We meet every Thursday, at 0930, at various locations on the Common, finishing at 1500 hrs, with time off, for good behaviour, from 1100 to 1130, and 1300 to 1330.
We carry out many tasks, from cutting back overgrown vegetation, to pulling ragwort, all requiring varying degrees of effort.
In truth though, each team member works to their own physical capacity..it is not, after all, a competition. We thus enjoy a jolly good day out, in superbly sociable company, with loads of fresh air thrown in for free!
The age range of our exceptionally friendly group is 18 to 70-odd years, and it is quite amazing what we can learn from each other. Now, most of us didn’t realise that, if you eat 193 bananas in one sitting, you could become an “ex banana eater”…maybe even an “ex eater”.
We were incredulous when told this rather sobering fact by our youngest fellow volunteer, who at the time, was only 17!
We can only wonder at what facts he has amassed thus far, on his life’s journey.
But please, don’t let this deter you from joining our group…all sorts of subjects are covered, from Astrophysics to the latest Soaps’ revelations…so scintillating are our “coffee convos”, that we are disappointed when our ever-so nice Rangers have to remind us that it’s time for a “work break”!
And lastly, but by no means least, we learn much from that same great team of Rangers, who have a wealth of knowledge,( some of which it could be said, remains well hidden!)
But seriously, Folks, many users of Yateley Common would be impressed by the level of estate management and knowledge required, and displayed, to keep this vital site at its optimum level of sustainability.
So, this is just a short introductory piece to set the scene…it is hoped that we may do follow up bits and pieces to let you know what we are up to.
But, in conclusion, please be assured that every member of this (Thursday) group, (and also an existent, monthly Sunday group), are committed, under the expert guidance of our superb Rangers, to keeping this local green and pleasant land, an area of which we can all be justly proud.
Yours Ecologically,
Dave Rich.
PS I guess I should add the disclaimer that any views or opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of our mentors, the Rangers…although I’m sure there are some things herein that do!…eg “great”,”expert”, and “superb”.
