A summer boat trip to Coquet Island was the ideal way to thank our Conservation Team volunteers, with charity patron Ann Cleeves joining us too.
05 Feb 2025
Northumberland Coast National Landscape team
We thanked our amazing Conservation Team volunteers for all their hard work on Friday night, with a fantastic trip to Coquet Island. The sun came out for this special evening, and we spotted plenty of puffins, seals, and roseate terns while aboard the aptly named Puffin Cruises boat.
Our team of 200 volunteers protect and enhance the coast by undertaking skilled and varied tasks including habitat management, wildlife surveying, beach cleans and much more.
Award-winning Vera and Shetland author Ann Cleeves is the Conservation Team’s charity patron, and we were thrilled to welcome her on the trip. Ann’s late husband Tim was an ornithologist who visited the RSPB’s Coquet Island seabird sanctuary during his career.
We were also joined by our Chair Patrick Norris, Space for Shorebirds colleagues and Janet Fairclough of the RSPB.
Ann said: "I was delighted to join all the amazing volunteers who give their time to make our Northumberland coast even more beautiful. A brilliant evening."
Our volunteer hours in 2024 have reached a record high. We have recorded 5,494 volunteer hours from January to the end of July this year, a figure which has more than doubled compared to 2,626 hours counted at the same time last year. We are grateful for the much-valued support of every single person who gives us their time and dedication.
An extra special thank you goes to our lead volunteers, especially Chris Cobb who arranged the trip, and Ann Cleeves for championing this vital conservation cause.
24 Jul 2024
Find out the final number of wildlife species recorded at our recent Bioblitz.
03 Jul 2024
With Volunteers' Week now underway (from 3-9 June), it’s an ideal opportunity to celebrate the vital support these dedicated members of our community contribute.
