Welcome back volunteers! In mid-March 2020, Snowdonia Society staff left our office not knowing when we would be able to return. All practical work with volunteers stopped and much of Snowdonia became closed.
Gwaith ar lwybr Capel Curig ● Footpath work Capel Curig
Adapting to home working took some time but soon we became accustomed to working via video calls and participating in virtual meetings with our Trustees. Fast forward over some strange weeks and as lockdown began lifting elsewhere, we saw images of beauty spots reopened, shocked by the litter and the lack of social distancing; as well as the additional pressures put on local services, coastguard and mountain rescue teams. How would Snowdonia cope with the volumes of people seen elsewhere? Would problems of car parking, littering, and crowding be compounded or reduced by the different restrictions in different parts of the UK? It was clear that key messages needed to reach the right people. But how? Snowdonia Society and the Outdoor Partnership were approached by Snowdonia National Park Authority to help address this question. The plan was to develop a new programme of work in which ‘Welcome Back’ volunteers would convey important messages to visitors returning to Snowdonia. After an extremely busy three weeks involving countless online meetings and emails, working under pressure towards an early July reopening for Snowdonia, we had the safety measures in place to begin recruiting volunteers. As always, the volunteers of Snowdonia rose to the occasion and within a week over 100 people had signed up, pleased to be heading back out into the hills and mountains to make a difference.
They are ensuring that key messages of safety and responsible behaviour are communicated at busy sites. Our thanks go out to everyone who helped develop and deliver this scheme, you truly are Snowdonia’s heroes!
Casglu sbwriel, Gorffennaf 2020● Litter clearing, July 2020
At the time of writing, our staff are out organising and leading these volunteers, who are playing an essential role in looking after both the public and the National Park. Gwaith ar lwybr Llanberis mis Awst ● Footpath work Llanberis path August
Protecting and celebrating Snowdonia for over 50 years | 9
