Vacancy: Community Engagement Volunteer
Organisation: Wessex Rivers Trust
Closing date: Ongoing
Location: Wylye Valley with the potential to engage other communities on the headwaters of The Hampshire Avon.
Responsible to: Lindsey Death Engagement Officer and/or Tracy Standish, Senior Education Officer.

Background Wessex Rivers Trust (Wessex RT) is an environmental charity, dedicated to the protection and conservation of rivers and chalk streams in the Wessex area. Wessex RT is part of the Rivers Trust movement; the umbrella organisation helping to protect and enhance most of the UK’s rivers. The Trust acknowledges that educating and engaging with a wide and diverse audience is essential to sustaining long-term interest in our local rivers and chalk streams and empowering local communities to take ownership of these precious habitats.

To deliver on this ambition, the Trust is working on a 5-year engagement programme on the headwaters of The Hampshire Avon. Funded through Wessex Water’s Partner’s Programme with support from Wiltshire County Council, Our Healthy Headwaters is supporting communities on the headwaters of The Hampshire Avon to take positive action that will improve the health of the river catchments. The project has four core areas of focus:

1. ‘Save Every Drop’ - Promoting water-saving behaviours at home, school and at work.

2. ‘What’s Going Down the Plughole’ - Raising awareness of the chemicals used in domestic cleaning, personal care and in gardening.

3. ‘Septic Smart’ – Awareness-raising campaign about how to use and maintain septic tanks in ways that minimise pollution to rivers and groundwater.

4. Pet Medications - educating communities about the impact of spot-on pet treatments on aquatic life.

We are looking for volunteers to support the Engagement Officer on the various elements of the Our Healthy Headwaters Project. The focus will be to engage people of all ages to understand, care for and protect their local river by making changes to the way they use water. A range of engagement strategies will be used to find positive and meaningful connections between communities and their headwater. Tasks could vary greatly depending on your experience and interests, and you may have the opportunity to get involved in a range of activities. Time commitment will be variable but is likely to be about one day per month but can be determined by you depending on your availability, frequency and seasonality of activities.

Role Description

To apply for this position please email info@wessexrt.org.uk, letting us know in a few sentences why you’d like to volunteer with us.