OUR fantastic volunteers give some 3800 days of volunteering to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. Their contribution has been massive – getting involved in everything from scrub clearances and beach clean-ups, through to leading wildlife walks and helping out with our outdoor education work.

We value their time and energy all year round, but National Volunteers Week is a good time to celebrate their contributions. This national event during the first week of June is a time to pause and recognise everything our volunteers have done to help protect wildlife across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

One example is our Himalayan Balsam work parties every summer. Our officer Catherine Chatters co-ordinates volunteers across the New Forest pulling up Himalayan Balsam from river banks, preventing it from spreading to more of our waterways and ponds.

Himalayan balsam was introduced to the UK as an ornamental plant for people’ s gardens but it grows quickly, spreads rapidly and is now a problem in our countryside. It thrives along riverbanks and, when ripe, its seed pods ‘explode’ to project the seeds up to seven metres. If they fall into a nearby river they are carried downstream to start new colonies where they smother other plants. Indeed Himalayan balsam is so dangerous to our native wildlife that it is against the law to plant it in the wild or otherwise cause it to grow in the wild.

Brian Matthews, a retired bank clerk from Lymington, has been helping us fight the spread of the non-native Himalayan Balsam plant for five years now. After meeting Catherine, who explained the problems caused by Himalayan Balsam, Brian was inspired to get involved in the Trust’s ongoing battle against this threat to our wildlife.

The battle against non-native species can become all-consuming, as Brian outlines: “The downside is now that I can't go anywhere without seeing Himalayan Balsam - I even notice it in TV programmes.”

However Brian feels that volunteering has been hugely beneficial: “Over the last 5 years I have volunteered on more than 110 days. Most of these have been within walking distance of my home in Lymington. I have also met other like-minded people who have become good friends. An additional personal benefit is that I have had tinnitus for many years and I find that working in the natural environment is therapeutic.”

He’s also become more involved in nature conservation all year round, by becoming a Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve Conservation Volunteer. He says that in his experience many volunteers volunteer for, and belong to, more than one organisation.

More help is needed to stop the spread of Himalayan balsam along river banks this summer. Luckily Himalayan balsam has short roots and is easy to pull up, so it can be great fun and very satisfying to get involved.

If you are interested in volunteering to help combat the spread of invasive non-native plants in the New Forest area, please contact Catherine Chatters, New Forest Non-Native Plants Officer, on 07770 923315 or at Catherine.Chatters@hiwwt.org.uk

For other volunteering opportunities, visit the HIWWT website: hiwwt.org.uk.