Moors for the Future Partnership, based in Edale, are excited to announce that they are opening up applications for people to join their team of volunteers for the first time since the beginning of 2020. Volunteering offers a great way for local communities to get hands on to protect our precious peatland landscape and volunteers can directly help to tackle climate change by getting involved in blanket bog restoration work.

Volunteer applications were closed back in March 2020 when the UK went into the first COVID pandemic lockdown and all volunteering activities were suspended. Volunteer work has begun again on the moors in recent years thanks to a dedicated team of long-serving volunteers who have been working with the science and monitoring teams. With multiple new sites across the Peak District on the horizon Moors for the Future Partnership are now looking to expand the group again and welcome new volunteers.

Volunteers joining the team get the opportunity to work on active peatland restoration sites right across the Peak District, helping the partnership to restore degraded sites and bring blanket bog habitat back to this precious landscape.

Opportunities range from taking part in vegetation surveys to record plant species on site and dipwell monitoring to check water levels, to having the opportunity to directly plant our key species, sphagnum moss, on the moors which will have a direct impact on the health of the uplands for years to come.

As well creating peatland habitats that are home for a rich array of wildlife such as curlew and mountain hare, sphagnum moss is a highly effective carbon store, accumulating over time to create 1mm of new peat every year and locking carbon in the ground. It is also able to absorb up to 20 times its own weight in water, holding peak water flow on the hills, rather than allowing it to overwhelm river systems below. What volunteer teams plant today will continue to grow and will still be capturing carbon decades from now.

Senior Communications Officer, Emma Shaw said, “We’re really excited to be expanding our volunteer team once more. Volunteers are such an important part of our programme and their work contributes directly to our grant funding and so every day spent with us has a great impact on chosen sites as well as our ability to restore huge landscapes for future generations.

“Since applications were last open we’ve started work on some new sites which offers new opportunities to get involved. ts a great way to meet new people and learn about moorland conservation while taking action to help fight climate change. Training is given so anyone can come along and join the team.”

LINK TO APPLICATION FORM: https://www.moorsforthefuture.org.uk/get-involved
LINK TO INFORMATION ON VOLUNTEERING: Meet our volunteers | Moors for the Future