Thames Path - Volunteers - NationalTrails

The National Trails Volunteer Scheme

Volunteers perform a vital role in helping inform us of problems and helping us to maintain The Thames Path through an ongoing programme of monitoring, maintenance and improvements.

Thanks for your interest in volunteering for the Thames Path National Trail.

Currently we are not accepting applications for new volunteers as we are busy training up our new volunteer co-coordinator.

Watch this space in the coming months for news of openings.

Volunteering Opportunities

There are various opportunities for volunteers. Practical tasks include vegetation clearance, installation, and repair of signs, gates and bridges and some workshop tasks. Led by staff from the National Trails team, tasks take place most weekdays covering the Trail from its Source up to Marlow. All tools and training are provided, and the tasks are a good way to meet like-minded people.

Tasks the practical volunteer team get involved with:

Out on the Trail – Practical

Mowing – Turn up and we’ll supply the mowers.
Strimming and brush cutting – Using Stihl brushcutters in the areas where we can’t use the mowers.
Scrub clearance – Using hand tools to trim back hedges, and hedge trimmers for areas that are overhanging.
Installing new gates – Replacing the towpath gates when they reach the end of their lives on the river bank.
Signage works – Installing new oak waymarking posts and signposts that have been damaged.

In the Workshop

Woodworking – Help make our information boards and our signposts.
Machine maintenance – Help us repair and service all our mowers, brushcutters and hedge trimmers.

Out on the Trail – Monitoring

There are also opportunities to become a volunteer ‘monitor’ by adopting a 3-5 mile section of the Trail. Monitors walk their section at least once every 3 months, and after extreme weather conditions and report what any issues they see to us via a dedicated website reporting system. We particularly welcome volunteers who live or work locally to these sections because it minimises travel costs and carbon.

Find out more about what volunteers do.

Please read the documents below and, if you wish to register your interest in volunteering on the Thames Path, please email us at NT.Volunteers@oxfordshire.gov.uk. We will respond to applications as soon as possible.

Downloads

Ridgeway and Thames Path Volunteer Application Form 2022

Ridgeway and Thames Path prospective volunteer – what to expect leaflet

Before and after, fallen tree at Sonning

Workshop Volunteer making new oak fingerposts

Workshop volunteers Ian, Michael & Martin making new oak fingerposts ready to go out on the trail

Volunteers Araba & Diane with their newly installed fingerpost near Abingdon Lock

Practical volunteer Diane using the BCS flail mower

Volunteers planting trees at River of Life II, Earth Trust

Practical volunteer, Roger, mowing thick grass along the Thames Path

Mowing along the Thames Path near Chimney

Volunteer Project Officers blog 2023

Another busy year out on the Trail!

Volunteer Project Officers blog 2022

The volunteers have been busy!

Mark Robbins, Trails volunteer for 25 years

Volunteer for the Trail for 25 years

Mark Robbins has volunteered for the Thames Path and The Ridgeway National Trails for the past 25 years, and we wanted to find out more about his experience of working on the Trails and what it has meant - and still means - to him.

Firstly, we asked him how he became a Trails volunteer:

‘It was a spur of the moment thing. I was walking in the Uffington Fort on The Ridgeway – a lovely day on the Berkshire Downs, and as I was coming down the slope towards the Vale of the White Horse I saw tacked to a gatepost a notice that read ‘Do you want to volunteer for the Trail’ with a phone number. I’d just gone freelance and was enjoying life so much more. It was my first step into the world of volunteering and this became a significant part of my life. It pointed towards a future direction with volunteering and eventually would lead me to setting up my own charity. Now I’m full time charity manager for The Freshwater Foundation giving out small amounts of money to small community and charity groups – helping them to start up or help established groups develop successfully.

So, there were ripples from that original step into volunteering that have made an impact on Mark’s life. Mark remembers his very first task which was at Kelmscott on the Thames Path on a horrible, cold, grey and damp late November day. The task was to install a heavy old wooden kissing gate, this would be around the beginning of the Thames Path’s life as a National Trail in 1996. Despite the weather Mark returned for a second task, this time brush cutting at Sonning Lock – this was a lot more enjoyable.

Why did he continue to volunteer?

‘ I love the Chilterns and the Thames and I’d done a lot of walking in those areas so the associations were very special. Whitchurch and Goring with lovely views over the Thames Valley and the Vale of the White Horse. There was the idea of giving something back.
The good hard physical labour – and satisfaction of a job well done – combatting the huge growth overwhelming the path, man versus nature! The camaraderie… everybody working really hard – and having a really good time’.

Volunteering can set challenges with new skills to acquire, there have been changes to adapt to….

‘Since I started it has become more mechanised – using pole saws and brush cutters I have become more mechanically minded. When I first started I remember we’d had a workshop and on the Sunday I broke not 1, or 2 but 3 pieces of equipment.. then I was put to doing plain creosoting!

…and the opportunity to use existing individual strengths:

I’ve taught computer science and data analysis – and I’ve used these skills to work on analysing National Trail web audiences to help inform the advertising strategies of the Trails.

The National Trail Volunteers winning The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, (in June 2020) the equivalent of an MBE, is a source of great pride to Mark. So, after 25 years, does Mark still enjoy volunteering?

Behind the hard work it is the true public spirit – people who care about putting something back- those are the sort of people I like the most. Being among ‘the public of spirit but light of heart -that’s something that’s increased over the years.’