Skiddaw tree-nursery volunteer - Paul Whitaker

One of our brilliant volunteers, Paul, explains why he volunteers with the Trust and how he got involved with habitat restoration.

What are your interests in wildlife?

I have always enjoyed being outside surrounded by the sights and sounds of wildlife. The call of a curlew bird flying overhead during a south Lakeland walk always puts a spring in my step!

In recent years, I have become more aware about the decline of curlews and other local flora and fauna. I have thought more about the options on what I can actually do to help nature recover.

Fortunately, there are opportunities for volunteering, fundraising, and learning new skills at all-year-round workshop events delivered by conservation organisations like Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

Why did you start volunteering for Cumbria Wildlife Trust?

Living in the ‘green triangle’ of South Cumbria, North Lancashire and North Yorkshire, I have lots of opportunities volunteering for lots of different conservation organisations and groups.

Is volunteering for you - leaflet front cover

One day I saw a Cumbria Wildlife Trust volunteering advert showing an eye-catching shot of a volunteer party against a backdrop of beautiful Cumbrian countryside. The advert asked “Is volunteering for you? Think about it…not only would you be able to make a difference to the work of the Cumbria wildlife Trust…there is something in it for you too…”

I signed up and have continued volunteering with Cumbria Wildlife Trust ever since. This is not only due to the variety of volunteering opportunities available, but also the sheer beauty and variety of Cumbrian landscapes.

Volunteering with Cumbria Wildlife Trust can offer you everything from the coastline reserve of South Walney up to the newest and highest nature reserve in England, Skiddaw, and many more in between.

When did you first volunteer for us?

My first workshop event was in 2022 and volunteering followed a year later.

What volunteering do you do with Cumbria Wildlife Trust? Where?

My volunteering experience has been unique and interesting. I’ve been wildflower plug-planting at a grasslands project site above Windermere; red squirrel surveying at Grasmere; transplanting wildflower seedlings at the Gosling Sike nursery and have an ongoing role helping out the Volunteering team, based out of the Plumgarths office.

A turquise blue bowl of rowan tree red seeds with some leaves

Following Cumbria Wildlife Trust's purchase of Skiddaw, I have recently signed up as both a seed tree collector and a tree nursery volunteer. I have been keen to be involved in this project and ‘want to do my bit’, helping Cumbria Wildlife Trust restore over 12sqkm of rugged, upland wilderness.

The scale of the Skiddaw project is mind-blowing.

The project includes converting 2.5sqkm of upland valleys and hillsides into an upland temperate rainforest over the next 100 years. Yes that’s right, 100 years!
To achieve this, approximately 300,000 trees, comprising 25 locally-sourced native species including oak, birch, hazel, crab apple and rowan, need to be established on Skiddaw in the next 5 years.
Over 400,000 trees will need to be grown from seed to achieve this.
The plan is to collect tree seed from local woodlands. Seed will then be processed and grown on tree nursery sites at Plumgarths (Kendal), Cold Springs (Penrith), Gosling Sike (Carlisle), HMP Haverigg, and Treebay (Growing Well at Tebay Services).
To give the trees a chance to root in the soil at Skiddaw, trees will be planted out at a fairly small size. For most tree species this will mean 2 to 3 years growing in nursery sites.
There are currently 80 seed collector volunteers and 10 tree nursery volunteers signed up to the Skiddaw project.

What skills have you picked up since you’ve been volunteering? How have they helped your confidence and ‘green’ CV?

Each of the Cumbria Wildlife Trust volunteering roles brought its own opportunities to learn new skills. Cumbria Wildlife Trust is great at helping people to learn the skills they need to make positive action for nature at home.

In 2022, I attended a wildflower propagation workshop at Gosling Sike nursery and learnt how to grow threatened, native heritage- wildflowers. This meant I gained practical experience and knowledge that gave me the confidence to obtain locally-sourced seeds and produce a single tray of plug plants myself.

Two years later, we grew a whole pallet of mushrooms from just one tray, and by 2025 I had started up a small not-for-profit venture called ‘Bee Friendly Wildflowers’ with my partner Natalie.

In 2025 we donated 500+ melancholy thistle (Cirsium heterophyllum) plug plants to local community projects and our aim is to see populations of this stunning upland-wildflower thriving again on as many local grass verges, churchyards and meadows as possible.

Our own garden's wildlife has also benefitted from the wildflower propagation and plug planting skills I've learnt. In 2025, we picked up a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Wildlife Gardening Award ‘Gold’ award.

A bee on a thistle wildflower against a grassy background

I have also learnt invaluable administrative skills from the Volunteering team. These include how to use IT software packages to creating adverts and content.

For Skiddaw volunteering, I have already learnt to identify native upland tree species, their seeds and seed processing. Eventually, I will also learn how to grow-on seeds into seedlings & transplants at tree nurseries, as well as tree planting at Skiddaw and aftercare maintenance.

All volunteering opportunities have a comprehensive induction, training and support with using conservation tools and equipment safely.

What do you enjoy about volunteering? Do you have any particular memories or experiences you can share?

My greatest enjoyment is the satisfaction of completing the day’s task. I know that even in a small way, I have positively contributed to helping Cumbria Wildlife Trust restore a little bit more space for nature.

This could be directly, like plug-planting wildflowers in a new meadow, or indirectly like helping the volunteering team promote their roles on external websites.

All my volunteering has been achieved working with friendly Cumbria Wildlife Trust staff and fellow volunteers who share my passion. Oh, and did I mention all in the beautiful Cumbrian countryside?

What would you say to people who are thinking of volunteering but are feeling a bit nervous about joining in?

Volunteering opportunities are so varied; there will be something that you'll enjoy! The tasks can be as physical or technical as you want them to be. There is no expectation to complete tasks either.

Many people volunteer for different reasons, and some find that volunteering has made a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.

The number of volunteering opportunities allows you the flexibility to pick and choose roles that fit around your work/life balance.

You get full training of new skills and equipment from qualified staff. And, health and safety is at forefront of every task day.

What would be your message to people who are not sure on how they can help out with the environment?

It's understandable if you're feeling ‘eco-anxious’, especially when looking at the bigger picture of climate change. But remember that all small actions, such as volunteering for Cumbria Wildlife Trust, will actually make a difference to wildlife and people locally.

I often like to walk the pooch, revisiting locations I have been volunteering at to see how the wildflowers, shrubs and trees, that I planted, are thriving. To see bumblebees bouncing from one flowerhead to another is a success for both me and Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

So, I believe we can all help out with the environment. Why not have a look at the volunteering opportunities page on the Cumbria Wildlife Trust website and read the volunteer stories?

And if you've any more questions, please speak to the volunteering team, who will be happy to help.

What are your thoughts on the future of wildlife and communities in Cumbria?

I am generally ‘half-pint-full’ by nature and do see positive results of not only my volunteering actions but also the tireless work of Cumbria Wildlife Trust and other wildlife conservation organisations.

I do think it’s all our small actions that make a difference and so it's crucial that Cumbria Wildlife Trust continues to engage with more local communities.

The more people engaged and involved in community-led projects, the more positive change there will be for nature. This does not have to be on the scale of Skiddaw. A wildlife garden or even window box is a great starting point.

The Trust's Skiddaw project is testament to the fact that Cumbria Wildlife Trust cannot help nature to recover without the help from its volunteers.

On a personal level, I am very proud to be involved. From donating to help purchase Skiddaw, volunteering to collect and process tree seed, to eventually planting those same trees on the hillside of Skiddaw itself.

It's a cliche but I will conclude with an old Greek proverb that sums up volunteering for me at Cumbria Wildlife Trust: “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”