Visitor Gifting

We are delighted to announce that as of July 2008 Cornwall & Devon Classic Car Hire will be offering clients the opportunity to contribute to a Visitor Gifting scheme, run in conjunction with Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

As a responsible tourism operator we wished to give clients the opportunity to make a small donation to the work of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust in order to support their work in safeguarding and enhancing the natural environment and wildlife which we all enjoy. The Trust also has significant community benefits engaging with a variety of volunteers and in an educational capacity to assist future generations to understand and respect the natural environment - our most prized tourism asset in the south west!

Clients will be invited to make an optional £1 per day of hire donation to this worthwhile organisation. Donations are entirely voluntary and are organised via the existing booking paperwork we send when confirming a reservation with you.

As an ambassador business for the Cornwall Sustainable Tourism (CoaST) project we were particularly keen to work with an organisation that could not only demonstrate a strong environmental contribution to the area but also excellent community engagement. The core belief of the CoaST project is that sustainable tourism is not just about the Cornish economy or the Cornish environment or even just about Cornish people; it's about all three in combination - The Triple Bottom Line. As such Cornwall Wildlife Trust were an excellent match to our requirements.

For further information about the work of Cornwall Wildlife Trust please visit www.cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk

Cornwall Wildlife Trust community engagement

Cornwall Wildlife Trust has strong links to the communities of Cornwall, and works not only for the benefit of the environment but for the benefit of people too. Our main aspects of community engagement are through offering volunteers opportunities for people and our education work for the younger generations.

Below is a summary of our work with volunteers and our education work.

Volunteers

The Trust involve volunteers in everything we do which helps link us to the communities we serve. We have over 1000 volunteers registered with us, and estimate we have about 30 volunteers supporting us per day. The 47 Wildlife Trusts across the UK collectively have 32,000 volunteers. Our volunteers range from all ages, abilities and interests. People volunteer for a number of different reasons. Some need work experience, some people want to get involved with their local community or some simply want to make new friendships. The Trust welcomes all volunteers and can usually find something for everyone!

Volunteers support the Trust in varied ways, here are just some examples:

Trustees

The Trust is governed by a board of trustees who manage the overall direction of the Trust in line with its charitable objectives. The Trustees give their time free of charge, and regularly attend meetings and events to represent the Trust.

Local groups

The Trust has a ten local area groups and twelve specialist wildlife groups led entirely by volunteers, including the groups of Kerrier, Tamar and Restormel, and the Cornwall bat group, Cornish hedge group and Cornwall seal group. These groups offer those who are interested in wildlife a social network in which to enjoy the things they are passionate about with likeminded people. The groups are very active, their activities include:

Organising and running wildlife events, talks and walks in the community which are open to all
Organising activities for children in the community for our junior membership, the Fox Club.
Delivery of our Wild Cornwall magazine, saving us £13,000 in postage every year.
Monitoring and commenting on planning applications

Recorders

Recorders are usually wildlife enthusiasts who will survey various designated areas of Cornwall and let us know what they have seen. They will undertake species surveys and carry out monitoring work. This helps to build up records of the various species living in Cornwall allowing us to monitor population and distribution.

Office staff

We have a number of volunteers who carry out office tasks on a regular basis. This helps support the overall running of the Trust

Nature reserve local wardens

Every nature reserve has a local volunteer warden who will keep an eye on the reserve and liaise with the regional reserves officer.

Nature reserve team volunteers

We have three positions lasting one year each for volunteer reserves staff. These positions provide the training required to enable people to gain employment in the field of conservation, which is notoriously difficult to get into without hands on experience.

Speakers

We have over 30 speakers who offer talks to local community groups for adults and children on varied wildlife subjects

Events staff

Volunteers who attend community events to raise awareness about the Trust, give people information and advice on wildlife and also recruit new members to the Trust.

Fox Club

Fox Club engages many volunteers from the community to provide support at the Fox Club events. Activities include supervising the children, preparing materials and taking bookings.

Wildlife gardeners

The Five Acres reserve at our head quarters has a wildlife garden, and we have a volunteer gardener to ensure this is maintained.

Education

One of the Trusts four core objectives is:

"To inspire people about Cornwall’s natural environment and wildlife."

One of the ways we do this for our younger generations is through our schools education programme which aims to inspire them to take an interest in wildlife. Education is vitally important to help younger generations enjoy wildlife and also ensure future generations will stand up for and actively protect Cornwall’s wildlife.

Schools education officer: We have an education officer working part time, who’s remit is to deliver education workshops on wildlife to primary school children, and who also co-ordinates the Fox Club activities. They work with schools all over Cornwall, and in 2007-08 delivered workshops to over 30 schools, reaching 950 school children.
Marine Education Officer: Our marine education officer has been appointed as part of a one year project to engage people in the Looe community with the Looe Voluntary Marine Conservation Area (VMCA). Their work involves providing workshops and events specifically about the Looe VMCA including rock pool rambles and snorkel safaris. Since the project started in October 2007, over 800 school children have been involved. This project is funded until October 2008.
Fox Club: Fox Club is provided for our junior members, of which we have nearly 3000. The members receive a magazine, Paw Print, full of information on wildlife, puzzles and activities for children. Fox Club also organise a huge range of events for children throughout the year, including rockpool rambles, mini-beast safaris, mammal and moth trapping and much more.
Out-and-about Club: The Trust has recently started offering trial events for children aged 11 – 14 years where parental attendance is not required. Events include kayaking, fly-fishing and snorkel safaris and are proving very popular. If funding can be found, the out-and-about club may be come a permanent club, encouraging teenagers to retain their enthusiasm for wildlife in fun ways.

Classic Car Short Breaks from £234 per person / Car Hire from £169 Inclusive