Fermanagh and Tyrone Conservation Action Team
Located on the shores of Lough Erne, in the beautiful grounds of Castle Archdale, the Fermanagh and Tyrone Conservation Action Team undertakes a wide variety of practical conservation projects throughout Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
The team operates Monday to Thursday.
Our minibus picks up at Enniskillen bus station, opposite the tourist information centre each morning at 8.45am before proceeding to the library in Irvinestown to do a pickup at 9.00am and then onto Castle Archdale Courtyard at 9.15am.
Having collected everyone the team gathers up the tools needed for the day and then proceeds to site where the project for the day is explained and a safety talk given. The task finishes about 3.30pm and everyone is dropped off about 4.00pm.
Bring a packed lunch, clothes you don't mind getting dirty and stout footwear. We provide tea and coffee and any safety gear and tools you may need.
We operate all year round and tend to work through wet weather (it is Fermanagh!) unless it gets really bad. So wrap up well.
The team is lead by an experienced leader who will look out for any newcomers to the team and be only to happy to explain about the work the team are doing. Other longer term team members will also quickly make you welcome.
To join the team you don't need any special skills or experience, just an interest in the environment and a willingness to learn.
You also don't need to be superfit. The team leader will allocate you a suitable task based on your experience and fitness levels. If you do have any concerns or medical problems that might effect the work that you can undertake then let us know and we can take the appropriate actions to involve you in the best way possible.
We have a wide variety of people of all ages and physical ability volunteering with us. Many are volunteers, some looking for a bit of work experience or training, some retired, others taking part in 'Green Gyms' for health improvement reasons, some taking part in Duke of Edinburgh or Millennium Volunteers award schemes and others on one of the many Government Training Schemes such as New Deal.
Our work is very varied, from planting trees and managing ponds in the winter, creating wildlife gardens in the spring, building drystone walls and paths in the summer and laying hedges and collecting tree seed in the autumn. So you won't get bored and there will always be something new to learn.
We also get to work on some of the most beautiful sites in Northern Ireland, from the upland bogs and limestone plateaus around Marble Arch Caves to the wild lower slopes and glens of the Sperrin mountains and the various National Trust Estates around Lough Erne such as Crom and Florence Court.
It's not all hard work and you do get a chance to enjoy the splendours of our countryside and enjoy the company of like-minded people.
If you are interested in volunteering with the Fermanagh and Tyrone Conservation Action Team, then contact us to discuss upcoming projects, pickup arrangements, taster days or any other questions you may have.
Martin Lawson
Fermanagh Field Officer
Email: M.Lawson@btcv.org.uk
Mobile: 07764 655 683
For a general information pack on volunteering with Conservation Volunteers, please contact cvni@btcv.org.uk
Address:
The Courtyard
Castle Archdale
Lisnarick
Irvinestown
Co. Fermanagh
BT94 1PP