Nature volunteers' fantastic work in Doncaster honoured

Inspiring and ongoing work at a Doncaster nature reserve has won its volunteers a prestigious award.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust’s Potteric Carr Nature Reserve volunteers have been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in this, the Reserve’s Golden Jubilee year.

Honouring 50 years of involvement in Yorkshire’s wildlife conservation, the QAVS recognises outstanding work done in their own communities.

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Volunteers’ spokesman David Carroll said the news was thrilling, marking the development from a 13 hectare site entirely managed by volunteers in 1968, to the YWT flagship, staffed reserve of 250 hectares today.

He said: “Wildlife conservation here has benefited enormously from our volunteers with, for example, eight rare bird species finding protection at Potteric Carr including bittern and marsh harrier. Volunteers have also engaged with the reserve’s 40,000 visitors, offering interpretation of the site and its importance to wildlife conservation.”

Potteric Carr is an area of low-lying land to the southeast of Doncaster which forms the floodplain of the River Torne.

The site is fabulous for birdwatching, and the grand total of officially accepted birds recorded at Potteric Carr from 1968 to the end of 2017 was 237, with a remarkable total of 106 bird species known to have bred there over the past 50 years.

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Throughout its history volunteers have helped shape the reserve’s landscape and helped its wildlife thrive in an ever more challenging climate.

For details of the Potteric Carr 50th Big Weekend visit www.ywt.org.uk or call 01302 365995.

If interested in volunteering at Potteric Carr, email [email protected]