Volunteer of the Year awards

North Wales Wildlife Trust Volunteer of the Year is an award made at the Annual General Meeting to a volunteer who has, in the opinion of the Council, made an outstanding contribution to the success and progress of the Wildlife Trust in 2023-24.

Kevin Peers

Kevin joined our NE volunteer team back in March 2023 and since that time, he has attended almost every session twice weekly.  This includes the difficult, smelly, wet and cold tasks that we all know and love!  He has worked across almost all of our 16 NE nature reserves, on tasks including technical bridge and boardwalk work; specialist electrical safety maintenance; all-season hiking through the hilly heather at Gors Maen Llwyd and driving fenceposts into limestone bedrock.  Kevin is one of the first people to offer to help out with additional ad-hoc work at Big Pool Wood, Ddôl Uchaf and Coed y Felin.  His knowledge and background have made him invaluable in contributing to the successful achievement of many practical tasks across our nature reserves.  He has completed brushcutter training and will shortly be doing chainsaw training with us. 

Between April 2023 and March 2024, Kevin volunteered over 300 hours of his time.  We are truly grateful for the significant contribution that Kevin makes to our work and he is a very deserving winner of our 2023-24 Volunteer of the Year award. 

David Pritchard

David first started volunteering with NWWT in May 2021.  Matt Cole, our Reserves Officer for Anglesey and Bangor, did not expect to see him again after his first session at Cors Goch, but happily he was proved wrong.  David has been a stalwart from the outset.  He rarely misses a Wednesday or Friday work party and in addition, Matt regularly calls on David at short notice to help out with a fallen tree or a broken fence or something requiring immediate attention. 

David is always ready for work – usually the first to leap up after a break or lunch; always punctual for pick-up in the mornings and happy to go the extra mile when Matt inevitably stretches the work party for an extra few minutes at the end of the working day!  He is the unofficial social secretary for Matt’s work parties – never forgetting anyone’s birthday.   

In 2023-24 David volunteered over 350 hours of his time to help us manage our nature reserves. We are truly grateful for the significant contribution that David makes to our work and he is a very deserving winner of our 2023-24 Volunteer of the Year award. 

North Wales Wildlife Trust Young Volunteer of the Year is an award made at the Annual General Meeting to a young volunteer who has, in the opinion of the Council, made an outstanding contribution to the success and progress of the Wildlife Trust in 2023-24.

Anna is one of our stand-out volunteers.  She was a mentor on our Ocean Rescue Champions’ programme, and when that role ended in March 2024, Anna continued to provide guidance and knowledge to young people participating in the project. 

Back in January, at our annual Plast Off! Beach Clean, Anna asked if she could invite her Member of the Senedd along to the event. The answer was yes, of course, and not only did the MS for Ynys Môn attend, but he came with the Leader of the Council and Anna was tasked with the responsibility of hosting them for the event.  A passionate advocate for marine conservation, Anna spent the morning beach cleaning with her local decision-makers and used the opportunity to discuss all manner of important topics, including our Seagrass Ocean Rescue project. Anna is an incredible representative for NWWT and young people in general!

As an active member of our Youth Forum, Anna has participated in many sessions throughout the year including the Youth Forum’s Pesticide Campaign, the Restore Nature Now March in London, a Parliamentary Reception at the Senedd in Cardiff  and also having her voice heard about the important topic of climate and eco-anxiety in young people.  All whilst juggling her studies as she is now in her final year of sixth form!  Anna is a truly inspiring individual and a real role model for our younger volunteers. 

North Wales Wildlife Trust Volunteer Group of the Year is an award made at the Annual General Meeting to a group of volunteers who have, in the opinion of the Council, made an outstanding contribution to the success and progress of the Wildlife Trust in 2023-24.

The people who volunteer at the Trust’s two retail shops are often the ‘unsung heroes’.  The work they do might not be as exciting as planting trees, clearing undergrowth or putting up fences, but nevertheless, it is just as vital, as it raises significant funds for the Trust.  Our shops are open 7 days a week from April to early November. Volunteers offer a minimum of 3 hours per week, although many do a lot more than this.  In 2023 - 24, our amazing shop volunteers collectively gave up over 2500 hours of their time.  Both outlets double up as unofficial tourist information centres, so all of our volunteers have to be able to give out appropriate information to members of the public, as well as being fully conversant with all of the work the Trust undertakes, its nature reserves and perhaps even encouraging people to become members! 

Our volunteers come from all walks of life, and everyone has their own personal reason for wanting to contribute.  They all have one thing in common – they love nature and love to share that passion with other people.  Well done & a huge thank you to all of our shop volunteers.