Whether part of a team day, a regular activity, or an occasional way to give back, the benefits linked with volunteering are numerous and varied.
Getting involved improves connections with nature and communities, boosts mental and physical wellbeing, and fosters a sense of achievement and camaraderie.
Volunteering in the New Forest supports its wildlife, habitats, and heritage and is a way anybody can help, protecting the National Park’s special qualities into the future.
From practical tasks like heathland restoration or improving footpaths to low-activity and home-based roles such as archiving, admin, and social media – which can be found through the New Forest Volunteer Fair – there are many ways to join in.
Hear from a team of volunteers who joined us for a day restoring heathland to discover what a day volunteering with the New Forest NPA can look like:
Adam
‘Being able to smell the smells and feel the air and sun, it makes a big difference for us. It’s very different and really gives us a bit of energy back.
‘Today’s session has been totally different to a typical day. We try to get out and about, but most of us are either working from home or in the office spending a lot of time in front of screens.
‘Simply being able to be in a different environment where you can relax with each other and do something totally different really does benefit us in our work when we get back to it.’
He added:
‘It’s really important to make connections between your colleagues – speaking to people you don’t normally speak to and getting to know what people are like and getting to know their stories a little bit more.
‘These are things you may not pick up over a Teams call when you’re trying to complete a job at work.’
Tamsin
‘Being out here volunteering is a boost that gets the endorphins going and gets you out in the fresh air.
‘It’s nice to be able to focus on the team and on making a difference, rather than switching between things all the time. It’s really nice to be calm and relaxed, getting some good job satisfaction at the end of the task.
‘It’s nice to be out of the office with the team in nature doing something that’s giving back, spending time together and connecting over something that’s not work.’
She added:
‘It’s really important to get out and to build connections because a strong team is built on a strong foundation.
‘Those foundations are built with the relationships and connections that having fun leads to, and that’s what all of this is about. It’s about building that strong connection and a strong team.’
Richard
‘Today has been very stress-relieving, especially with the kind of work we’re doing – clearing vegetation – and it’s satisfying to see what we’ve done.
‘It’s a nice break and it’s good to be standing up and moving around, particularly if you’re quite office and desk-based – it’s important to get some exercise in your day.’
He added:
‘It’s nice to be out in the Forest surrounded by nature and the animals, catching up with colleagues in different teams who I perhaps haven’t interacted with for a while.
‘It’s good to get together to work on something like this as a team and is quite a contrast to a typical day working. People can often be at a desk or in a meeting room, so moving around and approaching different ways to tackle vegetation is refreshing.
‘It’s very rewarding, especially because we’re a local company so it’s really nice to give back to the New Forest to help the community enjoy the National Park.’
Ben
‘It’s been a really nice day volunteering with the NPA because it’s good to get out in some fresh air, to see the sunshine and get in touch with nature.
‘Physically, it’s good to get some exercise – a good workout – and it’s really good mentally too.
‘I’m already feeling the benefits of today and when we return to work tomorrow and for the rest of the week I think the benefits of today will definitely last.’
He added:
‘People across different roles are working together for the same focus and goal and that simplifies things. Work can be very varied and offer challenges.
‘A day like today is really good because it’s something to look forward to. We’ve been aware of this for a while, so planning for that and being aware from a teamwork perspective has been fantastic getting people together.
‘I’m part of quite a widespread team, so it’s nice connecting with people we may not see on a day-to-day basis – I’ve had some great conversations.’
Naomi
‘It’s nice being away from your desk out in nature, and there were even cows walking around – you need that every so often.
‘This is very different to a typical work day. I don’t do anything like this in my day-to-day job – this is physical and stimulating in a different way.
‘I would advocate for any team or company to come out working with the NPA to clear an area because you physically see the impact you’ve had, and you get to hear about how it can help the Forest in the longer-term.’
She added:
‘Often in day-to-day work, projects mean people can have different tasks and everyone goes off to do the things they’re a specialist at, so it’s nice today we’ve got a common goal. We’re quite a big team and it’s lovely that we can all come together for this.’
Kirren
‘Today has been so grounding, to be out in nature helping the environment, which I’m passionate about. It’s really rewarding and nice to be outside doing something constructive.
‘I think the impact of a day like this can be amazing, just to have everyone together.
‘Nobody has their phones out and there are no notifications or emails, it’s just birds and cows. How much better can you get for your mental health?’
She added:
‘You can get so tunnel visioned in your day-to-day life, but a task like this volunteering in the New Forest lets you take a moment, to talk to people outside and away from distractions.
‘I work in some way with a lot of people here so it’s nice to spend some proper time with them catching up about things – it’s multipurpose.’
Leon
‘Volunteering is an honest day’s graft – it’s rewarding being out in nature getting your body moving and it’s good doing some physical activity.
‘I think it’s important for organisations to give back to local communities wherever possible.
‘It’s been great to come out with some people I don’t directly work with or who aren’t in my immediate team and being able to chat with them.’
Elizabeth
‘Volunteering with the NPA is completely different to a typical day. There are no deadlines, you’re not watching the clock all the time waiting for the next thing. It’s just different getting out in the fresh air and really good for you.
‘I think days like his help people connect with one another because we’re all doing something where we’re seeing a huge, immediate difference – we’ve cleared a whole section and the light is coming through. You really get a sense of achievement working together.’
She added:
‘Volunteering with the NPA has been really enjoyable. I love spending time outside. It’s what I like to do to decompress.
‘I go walking and I help out with woodlands locally, so it’s a really nice opportunity to get out doing what I like to do, seeing everybody in an out-of-the-office situation and getting out in the sunshine to do something different.
‘I’ve been talking to some people who I don’t necessarily get to speak with every day, meeting colleagues that I don’t normally catch up with, and catching up with people I know as well.’
Sign up as a volunteer with the New Forest NPA or discover team days for corporate groups.
New Routes to Nature – the initiative supporting volunteering in the New Forest – has been made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.