Volunteering

More than 150 volunteers help to make Durlston a very special place. Whatever your skills or interests, we need your help!  How You Can Help Here are just a few examples of how you could get involved: Work Parties Habitat Management - every Wednesday 10.00am - 1.00pm. Scrub cutting, bonfires, hedge-laying, dry-stone wall building, tree planting, sign painting, path clearing, wildlife surveys and more - just come along to the Visitor Centre Victorian Landscape - every Thursday 10.00am - 1.00pm. Based around the Castle - both internal and external tasks - just come along to the Visitor Centre. Full training and safety equipment are provided for all work parties - all you need are some old clothes and enthusiasm! Dolphin Watch Run by the Durlston Marine Project since 1988, volunteers have been helping develop our understanding of the ecology of the dolphins on the south coasts, through regular watches.  Full training provided. The Durlston Project   With so much still to do on The Durlston Project, almost any skill or just time would be welcome.   Fundraisers especially welcome. Voluntary Wardens A chance for budding Bill Oddies to put their skills to good use, or a way to learn more about wildlife, while helping to protect the nationally important environment of the Purbeck Wares.  Help with an annual programme of surveys, at a time to suit you!  Full training available. Surveys Bird surveys - on designated patch throughout the year - some knowledge of bird identification needed.  Butterfly survey - 2 transects are surveyed weekly from April - September: some initial knowledge of butterfly identification useful. Holiday cover often needed. Flower surveys - plant surveys in some fields.  Orchids counted annually -  between May - August depending on species. Training provided. Guillemot survey - counts daily, breeding and feeding surveys via the cliff camera in May and June Human surveys - data on visitor numbers and comments needs to be collected and analysed. Photomonitoring - monitoring of the park using photos; we need keen photographers to help us out with this. Visitor Centre Assistants The  Centre is OPEN every day 10.00 - 5.00pm April - October and at Weekends only from November to March.  We welcome 100,000 visitors a year.  This role involves staffing the counter, answering questions and taking money from sales. Training is given and a Ranger is always available to help out. Computer Record Updates Wildlife records and much more need updating, analysing and reports written.  We  are currently transfering raw information onto a computer database. Photography Photos of Durlston are required, especially people, views, wildlife and activities. Slides, prints or digital.  Or enter the Images of Durlston competition. Interpretation If you have a flair for interpretation, work on new displays and repairs to the old ones is needed.  Help with any of this work would be appreciated - including carpentry, painting and drawing. Education   Would you like to help with the delivery or development of our education services? Friends Executive Committee Members meet approx. every 2-3 months to consider a range of Park issues.   Every year members step down to allow fresh blood to join. If this interests you, please contact the Rangers. Get In Touch If you would like to help with any of these projects or have an idea of your own, please drop us a line, e-mail or come and see us at the Visitor Centre.   Take a look at the Newsletter for specific projects with which we need help.   You can park for free when doing voluntary work for us - ask for a permit from the Visitor Centre.

Dry stone walling Fence maintenance Dolphin watching  Dolphin Watch hut Butterfly survey Castle work party Staffing the information desk   Updating weather records