On 26 October, over 50 people, including trustees, employees, volunteers and Friends of South West Lakes, braved the wet and windy weather to attend South West Lakes Trust’s 19th annual Volunteers Celebration at Roadford Lake.

Each year we celebrate the invaluable help of our dedicated volunteers. Last year, volunteers gave 3,984 days of their time freely, which is equivalent to £250,000 at living wage, enabling our charity to do so much more.

The celebration began with a buffet lunch and a raffle. This was followed by a speech by David Robertson, Chairman of South West Lakes Trust, and presentations from Andy Parsons, Chief Executive of SWLT, and James Platts, Partnerships and Business Development Director. Andy’s presentation highlighted the wonderful, varied work of the volunteers at the Trust’s sites across the South West, from conservation tasks and site maintenance to assisting at events. James’ presentation introduced our involvement in the National Citizenship Service.

David Robertson, Chairman of South West Lakes Trust, congratulated and thanked the volunteers: “As Chairman of South West Lakes Trust, I share the current Trustees’ enthusiasm and gratitude for your achievements.  We are inspired by the work of our volunteers who bring their own expertise, experience and energy to our work, significantly increasing our charitable reach and impacts.”

He continued to outline the many efforts of the volunteers, including “helping out with environmental improvements and conservation work, supporting the delivery of educational initiatives, raising site standards, or working with our countryside, angling and activity teams to deliver all the great things they do.”

After the presentations, volunteers enjoyed participating in two activities: a session on water conservation with Emily Cannon, Community and Learning Officer, including some surprising facts on how much water is used in daily household activities, and a dormouse box making session. A donation left to Wimbleball Lake for conservation purposes covered the costs of the materials for the boxes, which will be installed at Wimbleball Lake following the confirmation of the presence of this endangered species at the lake.

Emily Cannon, Community and Learning Officer, said: “The volunteers really appreciated the day as a recognition of their efforts in so many spheres during the past year, and look forward to continuing to support South West Lakes Trust in 2020.”

For more information about volunteering for South West Lakes Trust, please call 01566 771930, click here or email [email protected].