Get involved
There are numerous volunteering opportunities on the Downs and in Leigh Woods. From practical conservation work such as coppicing and dead hedging to helping with bird surveys or getting involved with our engagement programme, our volunteers play a vital role in helping to protect and promote these fantastic sites.
Volunteer on the Downs
Are you passionate about British wildlife? Do you want to learn more and share your enthusiasm for nature with others?
Join our volunteer team and make a difference! Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife are looking for individuals to help with our engagement programmes and surveying. Our volunteers play a crucial role in delivering engaging sessions to schools, play schemes, youth groups, pre-schoolers, families and adults on the Downs. In addition, helping us to monitor means we understand better the state of the biodiversity in these special Bristol habitats.
Whether you enjoy working directly with the public or prefer supporting behind the scenes, we have the perfect opportunity for you:
- Engagement sessions: assist with delivering interactive sessions to young people, inspiring the next generation of nature lovers.
- Creative events: help to plan and deliver our children’s events, family days and community activities such as the Bristol Festival of Nature.
- Office support: contribute to the development of engagement resources and assist with essential office tasks.
As a volunteer, you’ll enjoy free access to walks, talks and outdoor sessions, where you can learn from, and engage with wildlife experts.
You will be based with the Engagement and learning team at our Guthrie Road site, where we run our events and sessions from. Most of our sessions are run up on Clifton and Durdham Downs, but not all.
It really depends on what you are looking to get out of volunteering, the time of year and what you're interested in. April to October tend to be the busiest times with plenty of events, schools, pre-school age and playscheme visits as well as some children's holiday activities. There are opportunities to volunteer in low season as well with materials prep. and repair and we run our bird surveys every month of the year. The following gives you a flavour of the types of activities you might like to get involved with:
Supporting school and holiday playscheme visits to the Downs, sometimes including making resources used during the sessions and supporting a small group of children focus on their studies.
Supporting our weekly pre-school plus adult session on Zoo Banks.
Helping with children's holiday activities in half term or school holidays. These are wildlife themed with time spent on the Downs, as well as in the classroom for craft afternoons!
Helping with the events programme, which incorporates a range of walks, talks and workshops, learning and discovering all about the amazing wildlife on the Downs and in the Avon Gorge. We often need help with meeting and greeting, preparing spaces and being on hand during outdoor events.
Engaging with the public at community events such as Bristol Festival of Nature, the Downs festival and Pride through engaging and fun activities.
Helping to survey our site - whether that's coming out to listen and spot our bird species or surveying pollinators in the spring and summer months.
It depends entirely on your circumstances. You can log into our system to view all our up-coming engagement sessions, events and activities that we need help with, and you sign up to the ones you are interested in and have time for.
Anna Stevens
Biodiversity engagement manager, Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife
avongorgewildlife@bzsociety.org.uk or call 0117 903 0609
Photographs: Meadow on the Downs (© Denice Stout), Silky wave moth (© Mark Parsons – Butterfly Conservation), Avon Gorge goat (© Denice Stout), Community walk on the Downs with FODAG (© Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project).