Wild Work Days
Escape the office for a change of pace!
Spending time in nature is proven to boost wellbeing - join us for a Wild Work Day and experience the benefits for yourself!
Our Wild Work days aim to inspire, connect and engage you with nature, wildlife and your colleagues. The day will provide a great team building experience outside of the office, giving you the opportunity to help us complete important conservation tasks on the reserve and learn more about our work.
Benefits of a Wild Work Day
- Boost your physical and mental well-being
- Forge long lasting relationships with your team
- Improve your local Nature Reserve for wildlife
- Build confidence & develop new skills
- Engage with your local community
- Deliver your Corporate Social Responsibility commitment & values
Wild Work throughout the year
£70 per person (plus VAT)
This charge covers the cost of planning and delivering your Wild Work Day, as well as helping our charity make a Wilder Leicestershire and Rutland.
The Wild Work days we offer will vary throughout the year, depending on the work needing to take place across our reserves. Throughout most of the year you can choose from reserves in the West or East of Leicestershire, or in Rutland. All work will be appropriate to the season, from managing thistles and ragwort to raking and bracken pulling during the Spring and Summer, and from coppicing or scrub removal during the Autumn and Winter.
Take a look below at how one group took on the challenge of some (very therapeutic) Himalayan Balsam Bashing!
We were joined by Natural England staff members for a Himalayan Balsam removal session at Narborough Bog. This pesky invasive was very much a monoculture here, even sneaking its way into the reed bed, but over the last month or so we have spent days brush cutting, slashing and hand pulling it from across the site before it flowers and seeds.
Himalayan Balsam is an invasive weed of riverbanks and ditches, quickly invading wet habitat at the expense of other, native flowers. Its explosive seed pods aid its spread by sending the seeds into the river.
Dry Stone Walling
For something completely different, you could try your hand at learning the basic principles of the craft of stone wall building. A skilled and knowledgeable instructor will explain the techniques of the craft while you get hands on experience. The day will give you the basic principles of the craft of stone wall building or repair and give you an understanding of the construction of a field wall.
Based at the Volunteer Training Centre near Oakham, and a day for 8 people costs £900 plus VAT (this covers the cost of the trainer and materials).
Please note that all participants should be able to lift heavy stone.
Wild Work FAQs
Work party activities require a basic level of physical fitness. Participants will be required to use hand tools and work together with the team to achieve a task such as invasive weed removal on one of our nature reserves.
For those people with reduced physical mobility, some accommodations can be made to enable them to participate in the task – please enquire for details. Occasionally, the walk from the parking area to the task site can be up to ten minutes each way.
What does a typical Wild Work Day look like?
An example Wild Work Day:
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Arrival and intro at 9:30am, ready to start working at 10:00am
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Short refreshment break at 11:00am
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Lunch at 1:00pm (please advise your staff to bring a packed lunch for the day)
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Finish at 2-2:30pm
Group Sizes
The standard group size for a Wild Work day is up to 10 people, although we can manage up to 20 depending on the task and the site.
Please do ask if you have a larger group and we will see what we can accommodate.
What do we need to bring?
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To make the most of your Wild Work Day it is important that your team wear appropriate clothing
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All participants should wear solid, sturdy footwear with no open toes (walking boots are the best option if possible), and long sleeves and trousers (to protect from insect bites, nettles and thorns)
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We recommend wearing layers of clothing which you can add/remove throughout the day
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Dress appropriately for the weather: sun hats, sun cream, insect repellent, waterproofs and extra warm clothes are recommended
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Water bottle and packed lunch
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A can do attitude regardless of the weather!
All tools, equipment and gloves will be provided as well as a full health and safety briefing from our trained team leaders.
What if it is bad weather?
Wild Work Days will take place except in extreme weather such as heavy snow, extreme rainfall, flooding, thunder storms.
What facilities are available?
Often there are no toilet facilities on our reserves so it really is a case of ‘going wild’. Please do let us know if there are any particular issues.
What is provided in terms of first aid?
All team leaders leading your sessions are first aid trained and will carry a first aid kit and defib machine adequate to the size of the group.
We will require registration and emergency contact details for all participants (information will be shredded following the event).
If we cancel the Wild Work Day
Wild Work Days are very occasionally cancelled, normally due to extreme weather or unforeseen site management issues. If this is the case you will be notified as soon as possible before the day and we will suggest a date to reschedule.
Booking Details
For more information and to arrange your Wild Work Day, contact us using the form below.