Conference 7 May 2014, “Working Together on our Rights of Way”
Volunteering Development
Ruth Rourke
Principal Countryside Access Officer
Monmouthshire County Council
Objectives
• To develop a Community Engagement Strategy
• To make better use of volunteers to work on
PROW and countryside access maintenance
• To explore options for working with groups of
volunteers
Baseline Position
• Policy framework is very supportive
• Work programme in place
• Underpinned by supporting documentation
and systems
• Existing experience of working with individual
volunteers (with volunteer co-ordinator)
Existing volunteer network
Who are our volunteers?
• Groups – include, for example
–
–
–
–
–
NW Monmouthshire Ramblers/Lower Wye Ramblers
Raglan/Mathern Local Ways
BHS Bridleway Group
Monmouthshire Walking Festival Group
Abergavenny/Usk/Tintern Walkers are Welcome
• Individuals
– 39 women and 77 men
– 78 are retired, 36 are employed 1 is a student and 1 is
unemployed
What do our volunteers do?
• Pathcare surveys and recording
• PROW maintenance (e.g. vegetation clearance)
• Data entry onto CAMS (e.g. comms from public,
work to be done, work done)
• Litter picking
• Compiling walk leaflets
• Walking website
• Development of walks and leading walks
• Walking festival
Support provision
Support for volunteers is provided in the form
of:
• Training
• Supervision by MCC staff
• Procuring appropriate materials
• Liaising with landowners
• Health and safety infrastructure
• Practical support
Feedback – what works well
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The people! Morag
Appropriate training
Set-up of groups was done well e.g.
lots of support
Map given is good
Insurance
“Pathcare”
Setting up volunteer groups
When problems are reported on
established pathways action is taken
Training provision excellent
Equipment supplied
Verbal support
Pathcare training course
First aid training
Mapping
•
•
•
Waymark stickers
Equipment
People in charge:
– Volunteer Co-ordinator/focal point
– Warden organising walk programme
•
•
•
•
•
•
Supplying tools/training/maps &
information
Things that are reported get fixed
(sometimes)
Allocated a single route to check
three times a year
Appropriate training for pathcare,
leading walk and first aid
Good communication – volunteer
system with Morag
Equipment supplied
Feedback – what needs improving
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Feedback from service to volunteers
Major problems dealt with slowly after
reporting (x2)
No user/volunteer meetings with service
No involvement of young people
User meetings have ceased
Setting up of groups then ‘abandoned’
Communication with groups >
Follow up of action promised is poor
Direction of groups – who is leading? Driving?
Pulling everything together
Diverting pathways/A’s to definitive map NOT
happening
Furniture installed on pathways that go
nowhere
Transparency – help us understand why
problems exist
Walk leaders training? (good when run by Tim
H)
Advertising & improving marketing volunteer
opportunities particularly to youngsters
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ability to do maintenance or other tasks at
weekend
More communication of what needs to be done
Website
Means of sharing good practice
Resources Available – limiting factor is
organising work to do – Super vol?
Dealing with low priority issues
Feedback about things we’ve reported
Web based reporting of faults + needs feedback
Communication & links between lots of groups
Major work not undertaken by volunteers as not
covered by insurance- not encouraged
Inviting more community service assistance
(with supervision)
Minor public footpaths neglected/lost (still on
ordnance survey map so visitors have negative
experience)
Examples of current models of volunteering
Current volunteering activities/groups
Options identified
INTERNAL COLLABORATION
• Continue as at present
• Services share a co-ordinator
• No co-ordinator
EXTERNAL COLLABORATION
• Each org takes on what it can within existing core funding, staffing and
mission
• MCC commissions one or more orgs
• Full partnership approach, combining volunteer effort and including
project-specific fund-raising
STAY AS COUNTRYSIDE ACCESS SERVICE ALONE
• P/t co-ordinator, but working with groups only.
• No co-ordinator
Where we are now
volunteers