Purpose of the role

We are looking for individuals to help us research the history of our nature reserves and how the land was used in the past. You will help us to collate and index current historical data, creating summary timelines of site history. If we have gaps in our archives, you could help us fill in these using parish and county records.

Discovering more about how our nature reserves were managed in the past can really help us to understand more about why they’re how they are today and how we can best manage them for wildlife in the future.

Type of tasks may be involved with

Some examples of typical tasks involved are listed below. This is very flexible and we are happy to discuss if there are particular areas you have experience or an interest in or if there are areas you’d rather not be involved with.

• Indexing and cataloguing current historical data
• Creating summary timelines of site history
• Searching parish and county records
• Collaborating with other volunteer researchers
• Working with WWT staff in assessing historical gaps

This is just a guideline and if there are other tasks that arise, or if there’s something else you’d be keen to develop, we can discuss this together.

Experience and skills required

• No previous skills are necessary, just an interest in historical research and an excited mind
• Interest and enthusiasm for nature and wildlife conservation
• Willingness to learn new skills and share skills you may have
• Able to work flexibly and use initiative
• Able to work in a team
• Able to communicate their research with others
• Ability to make judgements on the value of information
• Ability to record data methodically

Days/times we would like you to be available

This is an ad hoc, casual, role so hours are flexible – you can contribute as much or little as you like – so it can fit around your current life.

You may choose to work with other volunteers and could meet every one or two months to assess how the research is going and talk about what you have discovered. This could be done via video chat or in person. You will be notified of any training events or seminars that may help you in your role.

Benefits

As a volunteer, you will work closely with members of the reserves and engagement staff, learning alongside them in the process. The information you gather will help us gain a more complete understanding of the land-use history in Worcestershire. We may share the information on our website, magazine and with local communities to engage people in wildlife conservation.

We’re Wild About Inclusion

To us, this means inspiring, empowering and engaging people from all backgrounds, cultures, identities and abilities, to change the natural world for the better.  It also means cultivating inclusive workspaces that are free from discrimination, where differences are valued, everyone can be themselves and flourish, just like nature!