By Lucy Wyatt
When you sign up for a day of volunteering, with people you’ve never met, in a place you’ve never been to before, you don’t know quite what to expect. Having now spent several days happily helping out at Glandwr Forest, I can assure you that a day with The Carbon Community will be filled with friendly fellow outdoor-enthusiasts, fresh air (though sunshine can’t be guaranteed!), hearty food, many cups of tea, and of course thousands of thriving conifer and broadleaf trees! A perfect combination.
I am lucky enough to live in the neighbouring Twyi valley and see its green rolling hills each day, but that doesn’t detract from the drive up to the forest that takes you beneath the high arches of the Cynghordy viaduct. Crossing the stream and climbing upwards, you arrive at the forest where a short walk takes you to a magnificent view over the viaduct and across the landscape – before you’ve even done anything, the day is off to a great start.
A warm welcome awaits at The Carbon Community barn. The building itself is an impressive example of sustainable thinking. A light and airy second-hand barn, moved across the country to get a new lease of life in its current location, it has neat touches like kitchen cupboards made from unwanted church pew doors, internal doors rescued from skips, and the office desk made out of an old school science bench. Newcomers are ushered in for coffee and pastries before an introduction to the project and its aims, plus training and a health and safety briefing, ensuring you are fuelled and ready before heading out.
Whether you are measuring trees, fixing broken stakes, pruning, or inputting data, you can’t help but feel uplifted through being surrounded by young trees in such a beautiful setting. After only four growing seasons, the trees are growing healthily and in many cases are well above head height already. It feels special to be able to contribute to something which has long term positive impact – whether from the data and scientific studies (as this is a uniquely large and science-led project within the UK) or simply the creation of a new forest which will be here for hundreds of years. There’s no noise beyond the rustling leaves, calling birds and chatter of other volunteers, and my phone stays firmly out of sight.
During my few days with The Carbon Community, I’ve met a huge number of different people. A web manager at an IT company, the trustee of a nature charity, and an acting agent amongst many others. People aged 17 to 70, some living 10 minutes away and others travelling from further afield. What unites an otherwise disparate group is a shared desire to do something good for the planet, and an enjoyment of being outside. The ‘Carbon Community’ lives up to its name! Lunchtime conversations are lively and interesting, and the time flies by. Even better when enjoying a delicious warm lunch – all vegetarian food, hot soup or dal, local cheeses and chutneys, brownies and flapjacks… luckily the post-lunch slump is countered by getting back outside in the bracing air! There is a real sense of teamwork and collective achievement at the end of the day.
Like many, I am keenly aware of the climate and nature crises. I work for an organisation that plays its part in tackling the climate emergency, and do what I can at home, whether it’s a very ‘messy’ garden, reducing travel, or using nature-friendly healthcare products. However, I wanted to do something more, and stumbling across The Carbon Community has really helped to fill that gap. It proves that people can together make a difference – and so can you.
If you like being outdoors amongst trees, with like-minded people, and want to make a contribution towards environmental science and do your bit for climate action, The Carbon Community will tick all your boxes! Subscribe to the newsletter to hear all the latest volunteering dates. If you can’t get to Glandwr Forest, there are other opportunities to help out such as fundraising or writing – check out how you can get involved.
