News

Grants Team Volunteering Day 2008

Early on a grey October morning, the members of the Trust's grants team left the comfort of their Guildhall office and headed towards the far eastern boundary of the London Borough of Havering. The City of London Corporation encourages its employees to participate in volunteering activities and, this year, the Trust's staff decided to undertake a joint 'team building' exercise at the RSPB's reserve at Rainham Marshes.

Rainham Marshes, a nationally-important reserve next to the Thames, opened to the public in November 2006 and visitors can expect to see breeding wading birds in spring and summer, large flocks of wild ducks in winter, birds of prey, water voles and rare dragonflies. In the past, the Trust has provided capital funding towards the construction of the on-site education and visitor centre and is currently supporting the work of the education team.

Under the watchful eyes of RSPB warden Julian Nash and his regular volunteer Roger, the team spent the day helping to construct a stretch of boardwalk. When complete, this will provide safe and level for access for visitors to the further reaches of the marshes and form part of a long circular trail around the reserve.

At the end of a day of unaccustomed physical toil, Chief Grants Officer Clare Thomas, commented, "Although hard manual work, the occasion provided the team with a great opportunity to 'put something back' into the sector and in particular to this very worthwhile project."