Volunteer Feedback Questionnaire 2009-2010

Many thanks to everyone who returned their feedback form. The results are as follows:

Below are the comments that you made, with our responses in purple

Thank you for all of your comments, in particular the positive feedback. We will welcome your views at any time of the year; please feel free to let us know how you feel about volunteering whenever you want!

I would like to do more of…
Work actually in the countryside e.g. installation/ maintenance of styles, paths, hedge laying etc.
Working directly for the benefit of the natural world/ wildlife
Woodland i.e. coppicing and river projects
Hedge laying and Fencing 
Monitoring completed work e.g. survey

I would like to do less of…
I feel that current work is skewed rather towards schools and urban work and not enough towards countryside maintenance.
School projects particularly ponds
Litter picking and hay raking
Himalayan Balsam removal

The work that we do is driven, to a large extent, by the funding available and what is asked of us by our customers. We try to provide a wide range of projects and hope that over the next few months you will be able to take part in a nice mix of the activities you have mentioned above.  If you genuinely dislike a task then please feel free to miss this volunteer day aswe want you to enjoy the time you spend with us.

How can NWKCP make volunteering even better?

• Perhaps more attention to keeping tools in good repair. Generally I’m perfectly content with  current procedures. 

We are undertaking to sharpen all of our tools over the next few weeks and are also hoping to receive a pot of funding in the new financial year for a new range of tools.

• I do feel sometimes that the knowledge and expertise garnished from a lifetime of experience  is not fully appreciated. I am not writing in relation to myself – hopefully I have got a few years  left.

With some of you having volunteered for over ten years and a huge range of backgrounds and skills, we really do appreciate the knowledge and expertise that you bring with you to our group. There are some cases, however, where we must adhere to Health and Safety regulations set out by Kent County Council or to requests made by the customer. In those cases we simply have to ask you to accept that things have to be done in a certain way.
 

• I cannot see how the volunteering could be made much better – it is well organised and  en joyable by supervisors with experience. The volunteers are a friendly bunch as well.
   
• You cannot improve things much more, I also really appreciate the summer barbeque and  Christmas meal.
  
• I suspect there are many sites near to home where we could have a significant effect (e.g. along  Maiden Lane, Dartford).  Perhaps we could have briefings from Partnership Officers or from the  local council as to who managing these sites.  I feel our involvement is rather haphazard.

 We have a new strategic approach to projects and we will try to take a more active role in  developing community sites or under used sites within our project area.