Brighton and Hove Nature Volunteering

About

This Website is a work in progress

This document turned website was created because I am very passionate about the benefits of volunteering and taking care of nature. I realise how difficult it is to find or know where to look for cool organisations to volunteer with or to support so I wanted to compile a list of as many as I could find. Not all are directly accessible from Brighton but I wanted to include them still because they are useful to know about.

I’ve written a bit about each organisation to make it so you have context on them without having to open too many links. Some of the organisations I have not worked with but I have used information that is available on their websites to add to their about section.

I’ve formatted these into different categories to make it easier to find volunteering with groups that you want to support. In the future I want to create a key for the groups to make it easier to find groups that suit you.

If you have any groups you want to add or anything you want to say contact me at:

Community Gardens and Gardening Groups

These are groups and organisations which do gardening/horticulture in the local area. I have also added bigger groups that are gardening/horticulturally based as it made more sense to place them here.

Growing Hollingdean

Growing Hollingdean is a local ecological group that has helped create multiple community gardens around the city. They hold community events like seed swaps and plant fairs. They also have volunteering days at many of the gardens as well as tree guardians.

Brighton Permaculture Trust

Brighton Permaculture trust is a local organisation which looks to implement permaculture around the city. They host courses where you can learn how to build in more sustainable ways and learn how to care for plants like tree running courses. They also produce apple juice and cider from the orchards and they have volunteering opportunities to help with the process of making them. You can volunteer at the permaculture plots as well to help maintain community spaces.

Brighton and Hove food partnership

Friends of Preston Park

The Living Coast

Fork and Dig It

Special Branch Tree Nursery

Brighton And Hove Green Spaces Forum

English Heritage

Common Cause

Lewes District Food Partnership

Lovebrook Farm

Seedy Sunday

Not voluntary

Compost Club

Pesticide Action UK

Grow Wild UK

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Local Groups

These are groups around the city that are smaller/independent from larger groups like the Wildlife Trusts, etc.

Benfield Valley Project

The Benfield Valley Project is a conservation group to help maintain the Nature reserve for all who use it.

Brighton and Hove CityParks

CityParks is run by the council and has work days on Wednesday and Friday. They do conservation projects in parks and nature reserves around the city.

Brighton and Hove Tidy Up Team

The Brighton and Hove Tidy Up team is organised by the council and trains volunteers to clean up litter around the city. If you wanted to get involved with litter picking but were not sure where to start volunteering with the Tidy Up team would be a good way to start!

Coldean Commons

Coldean Commons is a chalk grassland restoration project based behind the Varley Halls of residence. They also do BioChar burnings with the wood and plant matter that the restoration creates and as well as other community events.

Railway Land Wildlife Trust

The Railway Land Wildlife Trust is a nature reserve in Lewes, they have volunteered to help restore habitats in the reserve. They also hold events in the space and have events about local nature.

The Aquifer Partnership

Whilst not providing voluntary positions the aquifer partnership is a very interesting organisation and I would recommend looking at their website.

Wildflower Conservation Society

Based at Stanmer Park the Wildflower Conservation Society grows wildflowers and is involved with planting bee banks around the city.

Seaford Natural History Society

Lewes Climate Hub

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Animal Groups

These are groups that work with the conservation of animals, insects and others.

Buglife

Buglife is an organisation that works with bugs and invertebrates. They have conservation projects all around the UK but the one most relevant to Brighton is the Changing Chalk Partnership which includes three projects which are looking to restore and protect the south downs grassland.

Bumblebee Conservation Trust

The bumblebee conservation trust works with the conservation of bees, they have the information on volunteering with them on their website.

Badger Trust

The Badger Trust works to conserve badgers, you can get involved with local groups to help support badgers in your local area. This might involve monitoring badger numbers and recording badger sightings.

Froglife

Froglife is an organisation which looks to support amphibians. Their project Discovering Dewponds is working to restore dewponds along the south downs. There is also the Toad Patrol which helps toads migrate across roads.

Sussex Butterfly Conservation

Sussex Butterfly Conservation works to record and protect butterfly habitats. They have different voluntary positions, from doing conservation and monitoring to more management type volunteering.

Sussex Moth Group

The Sussex Moth group is a smaller, local group that sometimes hosts Moth events.

The Mammal Society

The Mammal Society looks at the conservation of mammals all across the UK and Ireland. They have both events and local groups where you can get involved.

The Wildlife Ambulance

Located in Whitesmith, which is near lewes, the wildlife ambulance has multiple voluntary roles where you can help care for animals.

Help Wildlife

Help Wildlife is a directory for people who have found injured wildlife. They do not have in person volunteering but have volunteering opportunities to help with their online presence such as helping run their social media pages.

Bat Conservation Trust

Sussex Bat Group

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Bird Groups

Sussex Ornithological Society

The Sussex Ornithological Society hosts bird watching events around Sussex. The link page also has useful resources relevant to birdwatching.

Shoreham Ornithological Society

A smaller group of bird watchers from Shoreham who host local bird watching events.

Lewes Swift Supporters

The Swift Supporters have information on their website on how to support swifts and host events about swifts.

British Ornithological Society

The British Ornithological Society is a great resource on birds. They have citizen science that anyone can get involved with. They do not have local volunteering but citizen science is a good way to help with the conservation of birds

The RSPB

The RSPB is a conservation organisation which works with the conservation of birds. It has a wealth of resources and volunteering opportunities throughout the UK with multiple nature reserves in Sussex.

The Fat Birder

Fat Birder is an organisation which connects birding groups to each other, it has many different birding societies around the UK on its website. It does not provide voluntary roles but the many birding groups are a good stepping point.

Barn Owl Trust

The barn owl trust works with the conservation of barn owls, they have volunteering positions as well as events.

British Ornithologist Union

The British Ornithologist Union is a scientific organisation which works with research and scientific pursuits with birds. They do not have volunteering but are a useful resource for academics.

British Trust For Ornithology

The British Trust For Ornithology is an organisation which looks to conserve and research birds. They host both volunteering and events. They have a youth BTO which holds free events and more for young people.

Gay Birders’ Club

The Gay Birders club is a birders group that connects LGBTQ+ birders.

Hawk and Owl Trust

The Hawk and Owl Trust look to conserve hawks and owls. This organisation does provide volunteering and events but they are located in Norfolk and Somerset.

Raptor Rescue

Raptor Rescue is an organisation which works with the rehabilitation of raptors. They support volunteering to help care for injured birds.

Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

The WWT helps maintain wetlands and conserve wildfowl. They have volunteering positions at all of their wetland centres, the closest being Arundel.

Friends of Rye Harbour

Friends of Rye Harbour is a group separate from Sussex Wildlife Trust which helps maintain the nature reserve.

Brighton & District Local Group RSPB

This is the portal for Brighton and Hove’s local RSPB. You need to be a member to join which costs £10 and is unrelated to being a member of the RSPB. They need volunteers to run the committee. They also host walks and events which you do not need to be a member to go to but cost money to attend.

Eastbourne & District Local Group RSPB

This is the portal for Eastbourne & District Local Group RSPB. You need to be a member to join which costs £10 and is unrelated to being a member of the RSPB. They also host walks and events which you do not need to be a member to go to but cost money to attend.

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General Conservation Groups

Engage with general conservation groups dedicated to preserving the environment.

Trees for Cities

South Downs National Park

Young Wilders

UK Youth For Nature

The Woodland Trust

The Wildlife Trusts

Sussex Wildlife Trust

The Countryside Charity

Friends Of The South Downs

Earth Watch

South Downs Network

Sussex Past

Changing Chalk Volunteering

The Conservation Volunteers

Renaturing Seaford

Heal Rewilding

National Trust

Friends of The Earth

Species Recovery Trust

Not voluntary

East Sussex Nature Reserves

Mossy Earth

Pesticide Action UK

White Stork Project

Beaver Trust

Knepp Rewilding

Field Studies Council

Greenpeace

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Marine Conservation Groups

Wild Coast Sussex

Marine Conservation Society

Sussex Kelp Recovery Project

Sussex Dolphin Project

Surfers Against Sewage

The Shark Trust

Save Our Seabed

Not voluntary

Ocean Conservation Trust

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River Conservation Groups

Wider Ouse with Sussex Wildlife Trust

Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust

The River Trust

Canal and River Trust

Anglers Trust

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Other

Find other groups and opportunities that don't fit into the above categories.

Climate Cafe's

Magnetic Ideals

Lewes Climate Cafe

Climate Cafe Brighton

Climate Cafe Brighton

Seaford Environmental Alliance

Climate Resistance Centre Worthing

Climate Psychology Alliance

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