With nearly 400 volunteers and several nominations this year, it’s never an easy decision to choose just four winners — a huge congratulations to this year’s winners, and a big shoutout to all of our wonderful volunteers. We couldn’t do what we do without you!
Congratulations to our 2024 Volunteer Awards winners!
Our annual Volunteer Awards recognise and celebrate the work of volunteers across the county who give their time and skills to support us in creating a wilder Somerset and are presented at the AGM.
John Howard
John’s contributions to the aims of Somerset Wildlife Trust are wide-ranging and span over 10 years of dedicating a huge amount of time and effort to both practical volunteering and surveying efforts across Somerset. John started volunteering with us when he joined the West Mendip Conservation Volunteers, and has been out clearing scrub, bashing bracken and installing fences on the Mendip reserves since then. John has also taken on the role of Reserves Warden for Rose Wood, helping with dormouse surveys and infrastructure surveys for the site. Taking on a site as steep as Rose Wood deserves a medal in itself!
Whenever there is a practical volunteer group, you are very likely to see John grafting away, whether it be The East Poldens Conservation Volunteers, Sedgemoor Conservation Volunteers, Save our Magnificent Meadows Group or Reptile and Amphibian Group for Somerset (RAGS). Not content with this John has set up another group, The West Mendip Wanderers, which will introduce more volunteers to Somerset Wildlife Trust and, under John’s leadership, will be a huge success.
Furthermore, John has been integral to RAGS' efforts to restore the many dewponds on Mendip, helping the protected great crested newts as well as many other species which rely on these unique habitats. This has been through leading the many pond digging days, as well as taking on grant applications to fund the restorations.
We are so grateful to everything John does for us, and Mendip is certainly a more resilient haven for wildlife thanks to his efforts!
Vanessa Lloyd
Vanessa has been monitoring and recording sea mammals for over 10 years as the local Somerset and Exmoor Volunteer Coordinator for Sea Watch. For the last six years she has also become our lead Sea Watch volunteer supporting our work through the Somerset Wilder Coast project.
As well as coordinating monthly group surveys along the coast and quarterly synchronised Sea Watches, she also produces annual reports and regular newsletters, runs annual training days and has also set up a separate photo ID project with some core volunteers on porpoises in Porlock Bay.
On top of this, she is currently working with our Somerset Wilder Coast Project Manager to set up a Trust-tailored online recording sheet linked to QR codes along the coast path and setting up a Cetacean Strandings WhatsApp group.
All the work she has done as massively increased our awareness and data on sea mammals in Somerset, and our Wilder Coast Project certainly wouldn’t have been as successful as it has been without Vanessa’s support!
Youth Forum
The Youth Forum, part of Wilder Youth, launched in March 2024 and although it has 25 members, without the enthusiasm and dedication of six core members who have taken on specific roles, responsibilities and specialisms we would not have achieved anywhere near as much. Emma Watson, Erica Cox, Rachel Hiscox, Heidi Dalgarno, Maya Neville and Rosie Saxon have gone above and beyond what it expected of Youth Forum members and shown great commitment to wildlife conservation in Somerset, to nature inclusion and the work of Somerset Wildlife Trust.
To mention just a few things they have done, Rosie has introduced the concept of nature connection to the forum by planning sessions for members to decompress after meetings. Rachel and Erica are co-chairs of the Forum, taking on extra authority and responsibility, and are the first port of call for communication with and representation to the wider charity. Heidi represented the Youth Forum at the Trust's 2024 General Election Hustings, asking questions on reintroducing species and equal access to nature to the panel of MPs. Maya has represented Somerset Wildlife Trust at the 2024 General Election Taunton Hustings, working closely with the Trust’s Advocacy Manager to ask a question on behalf of the while Trust, as well as representing the Youth Forum at several other panels and hustings. Emma has provided beautiful content for Somerset Wildlife Trust's Young Photographers Spotlight on the Wilder Youth Instagram, and was also on the judging panel for the Trust’s 60th Anniversary Photography Competition.
Several members have many other competing demands on their time including work, studying at university, volunteering elsewhere and some even live outside of Somerset during term time, travelling back for meetings and events.
This group are inspiring, engaging, and offer the Trust a huge amount in terms of diversity of skill, knowledge, wisdom and life experiences. We are so lucky to have such dedicated and supportive volunteers doing incredible things for people and the wider natural world in Somerset!
Simon Briggs
Simon’s time as our Planning for Nature Volunteer dates back further than we have been able to trace, and certainly further than is on record. His work directly supports our goal of creating a nature recovery network in Somerset, and the service he provides is invaluable.
Based on his experience, and minimal input from staff, he has quietly and purposefully monitored the applications for planning in Somerset. He has responded to hundreds of cases in order to champion space for nature, as well as highlighting the larger or exceptional applications that need to be dealt with by the planning leads he has worked with over the years.
Almost certainly all of the barn conversions, home office extensions and rood space utilisation projects would have missed getting comment in favour for wildlife without Simon’s dedication and diligence to monitoring the planning portals in Somerset.
We are highly appreciative of his efforts, professionalism and the huge impact he’s had!