Volunteering in a Woodland - Ecclesall Woods

Learning Center in the Sawmill - Ecclesall Woods - courtesy of Miguel Tan

Its one thing noble to volunteer in Malaysia, but a queer feeling, a sense of gratification when you volunteer overseas. Apart from what I came here for, which obviously is to complete my studies, I had tirelessly reminded myself to make every single day count. Volunteering was never part of my "Eat, Pray, Love" plan, and when i look back at this, I would have never given myself a second thought. 

Ecclesall Woods is an area of woodland in south-west Sheffield, South Yorkshire and is currently managed by the city council for the benefit of wildlife and visitor access. there are 15km of public footpaths running through the woods, and in these woods there is a sawmill, and the sawmill is where our project begins. We were briefed by Tom the woods ranger on digging the pathways of a pond for a sustainable urban drainage system. After our lunch, we headed towards the digging site, and we saw about 10 shovels and wheelbarrows waiting for us. Another briefing by Tom and we were busy with our boots and pushing our sleeves backwards, excited to get the job started.

courtesy of Miguel Tan - photographer

It had never occurred to us that digging under England's chilly weather would send us sweating profusely, or so it happened to the gents. We dug, and dug, and dug. But we could get the shape of the pond right. Miguel, another volunteer has his skills as a major in quantity surveying put to the test, and before we knew it, he is essentially the project leader. 

Come rain and shine, and literally, where was rain and shine. For the next 4 hours, we dug under rain and shine until we could dig no more, and as time elapsed, it was time for us to pack our things and get cleaned. Truthfully, we may have dug a little too off, but the management gave praise to our diligent efforts.