travel
WORKING OUT
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
“I love lying around on the beach as much
as the next person, but I really wanted to
do something different,” she says, “I liked the
idea of feeling as if I’d achieved something
more than just a killer tan when I got back
from holiday!” This sense of achievement is
important to many volunteers. As Helen
says, “If you’ve laid a footpath, you can go
back in ten years and walk on it.”
Conservation holidays are hard work
but also fun and rewarding, and they attract
people from all walks of life. It’s not exactly a
relaxing break, and certainly gives new
meaning to the term ‘bucket and spade
holiday’, but perhaps we need to consider
the impact of our annual
plane trip to warmer
climes. Working holidays
might be low on relaxation
but they’re defi nitely high
and woodland on karma points,
Would you forego a week management. guaranteeing us a place in
relaxing in sunny Spain to go BTCV was heaven, if not in the sun.
dry stone walling in drizzly established in 1959
Cornwall? Theresa Heath and now supports
looks at the growing trend in 140,000 volunteers
conservation holidays. worldwide. Their
mission is to ‘create
We are increasingly aware of the impact that a more sustainable future by
travel and tourism has on the environment inspiring people and improving places’.
and local communities, not to mention the Helen Mitchell, PR Manager for BTCV,
carbon footprint racked up through fl ying. believes the rise in volunteer numbers is
Organisations such as the National Trust, due to an increasing awareness of
the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers environmental issues and eco-tourism.
and Responsible Travel now specialise in Conservation holidays attract a diverse
conservation or working holidays in the UK, range of people. “We get an equal number
offering a range of activities including litter of men and women from all social
collecting, beach hut painting, hedge laying backgrounds, from extreme lefty advocates
of green issues to your true-blue hunting, TRAVEL
shooting and fi shing brigade” Helen says.
useful info
“That’s one of the joys of it,” she continues, NEWS…
“and it’s also very safe and inclusive for
single people.”
Responsible Travel BCTV also supports the Lesbian and uk/
www.responsibletravel.com Gay Conservation Volunteers, a dedicated rainbow pride weekend
British Trust for
group of conservationists who meet once
93
Conservation Volunteers
a month in London. Founded in the 80s, the
www.btcv.org
group initially had more of a political focus.
Now, as key volunteer Dirk Wylenga says,
National Trust “The focus is on the conservation. But
www.nationaltrust.org.uk people do meet and go out afterwards.”
Discovery Initiatives
LGCV is free to join and runs day projects
all over London. Again, it’s incredibly mixed
www.discoveryinitiatives.co.uk
but mainly caters for those who ‘want to
International
get some fresh air and some exercise.”
Voluntary Service
It’s perfect for anyone wanting to do
www.ivsgb.org.uk
something worthwhile and meet other The Rainbow International Hotel in Torquay will
Community Service
LGBTs without having to go to a bar. host the Rainbow Pride Christmas Party Weekend
Volunteers
Where the biggest priority for gay from Friday 19 to Sunday 22 December. Guests
vacationers used to be ‘Is there a gay bar or can expect a fun-packed time, with three-star
www.csv.org.uk
club where we’re going?’ it seems that accommodation and exclusive access to the
Royal Society for the
conservation is now top of the list for many hotel’s nightclub and other facilities.
Protection of Birds
of us. Amanda spent two weeks in For more information call
www.rspb.org.uk
Cumbria as a volunteer warden for the Sonia Thomas on 01803 213232
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