Species on the Edge held a Volunteer 'thank you' day on Saturday 15 August to recognise, celebrate and give thanks to all the volunteers who have provided support over the 4-year programme.
Sam Stringer, People Engagement Officer (Orkney) at Species on the Edge, said:
Our area volunteer recruitment target for Orkney was 20 volunteers, delivering 175 hours of volunteering. With the help of VAO promoting our volunteer roles, we ended up with 57 volunteers over the course of our 4-year programme. They supported us at events and with surveys and to date, have delivered almost 938 volunteer hours. We currently have 26 active volunteers, many of whom have been with us from the start of the programme in 2023.
In autumn 2025, we consulted some of our volunteers about what they might like to do for an end of programme 'thank you' event. These volunteers were selected for consultation based on their commitment to volunteering with us from the beginning of our work, their differing mobility needs and their home locations, including islands.
The volunteers’ feedback helped to inform the plans for the 'thank you' day which included:
- Wildlife excursion by boat from Stromness
- Multi-media nature connection workshop based on the nine 'species on the edge' in Orkney
- Lunch and marketplace/display of volunteer opportunities to encourage their volunteers to continue supporting orgainsations in Orkney (photographed).
- Provision of resources to takeaway and inspire future actions for nature in Orkney
- Thank you awards ceremony
Sam added:
Our volunteers have gained wildlife knowledge, new skills and nature connections from their experiences with Species on the Edge. When our programme ends this December 2026, we hope they find other organisations to support them as they continue to volunteer for nature in Orkney. So, as part of our 'thank you' day we held a lunchtime marketplace with invited organisations raising awareness, signposting and promoting future outdoor volunteering opportunities to the group.
