Country diary: volunteering saves our countryside Volunteers Bill Parkinson, Peter Smith and Graham Girling carry out repairs to a bridge (MARTIN POPE) Yes, jobs get done that the CRT needs doing, but in an increasingly urban and suburban world, we also help put people back in touch with real nature and connect them with food production: where it comes from, how it is produced and why - it's a lesson in the "culture" part of agriculture. We hope that it helps them develop rural roots once more, built with friendships and a sense of achievement. At the same time, elsewhere they see the countryside disappearing, and indeed sometimes being trashed, by the very government that we hope Boris can still influence. So for this article I rolled out of bed early last Saturday morning ready for action. The weather was foul, the wind was blowing, the rain was falling and already several "Rustic" stalwarts - our volunteers are called "Rustics" - had phoned in to abandon ship. Volunteering is fine - volunteering in a downpour can be uncomfortable verging on the ridiculous. There was tea and coffee to start for the inner man - and woman - and there was a reasonable turnout of stalwarts and youngsters involved with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DoE). What a wonderful achievement that a man in his nineties can still inspire young people to do practical, "uncool" activities away from their iPods. The morning was organised by Vince, sorry, Dr Vince Lea, head of CRT Wildlife Monitoring. He actually moved into the village after seeing one of the CRT's restored hay meadows close to a house that was for sale. Vince and his partner Louise bought the house and immediately started volunteering for the CRT until he was offered a part-time job. The "Dr" bit comes from a PhD in tea - most appropriate really, as I understand that there are plans for a small tea plantation in Cambridgeshire in the near future. Vince's first task was to set three stalwarts to work carrying out running repairs to a bridge damaged by the recent high winds and rain. The bridge is a magnificent structure made from an intricate design of struts and posts, whose construction required the ingenuity of a retired gardener, a retired BT engineer and Bill, a proud scouser with a degree in History of Art. While the bridge received medical attention, the DoE youngsters were hard at it pruning one of the CRT's two osier beds (traditional willows used in basket making, hedge laying and now coffins, too). Our osiers were all planted by volunteers and they are good conservation plants because they provide an excellent habitat for a range of insects and good nest sites for a variety of birds. Fifteen-year-old Ellie Dixon was the only girl braving the elements, but she was there because she likes the challenge and the open air and "it's better than just lounging about." The conservation work is the volunteering element she needs for her Award; for "skill" she plays the piano and her "physical" is bouncing on a trampoline. Will McGuinness was another stalwart who enjoys doing things outdoors: read his blog (website below) for a taste of the tasks undertaken by CRT volunteers. Lurking among the osiers too was the CRT's treasurer, Ken Gifford, a retired sales executive in the food industry who has been volunteering for the Trust for more than 20 years. Not all our volunteering can be done at the same time, and Vince coordinates the work of 15 wildlife monitors, so important in demonstrating the wildlife benefits that result from the Trust's methods of farming. Recently the monitors have been able to confirm a flourishing population of harvest mice. This is great news as the harvest mouse is in steep decline elsewhere: it is one of Britain's animals to have a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) in place to help recovery. At Lark Rise Farm they are doing well, as are the barn owls, who also need their BAP to flourish. I went with Mike Perry, a warehouse worker and fork-lift driver, to find an old harvest mouse nest. Mike volunteers because he has seen so much countryside destroyed that he wants to play his part in trying to keep what is left. And dare I quote him? I love your Country Diary, Robin. You are the only one saying what needs to be said. There are more volunteers, too. One of Vince's greatest achievements has been to persuade 42 local farmers, landowners and charities to monitor 73 mink rafts, using volunteers, to detect the presence of alien mink. In just over three years an astonishing 163 mink have been accounted for and already the beleaguered water vole, "Ratty," another BAP species, is making a welcome comeback with the removal of its main predator. So on one damp, miserable winter's day our volunteers contributed to habitat management, population management, laughter and smiles, all helping to create part of the real countryside. All we need now is for Boris to turn up in the summer to help us pull up some Himalayan balsam and ragwort. The CRT welcomes volunteers in Cambridgeshire, Surrey, Herefordshire, Norfolk and West Sussex. Read Will McGuinness's blog at doe-vol.posthaven.com. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award: dofe.org Conservation charities: nationaltrust.org.uk; wildlifetrusts.org; bto.org (the British Trust for Ornithology); rspb.org.uk; naturenet.net