Health
Lots of academic research has been done for BTCV, notably by an independent team from Oxford Brookes University, to show that Green Gym really can deliver:
- physical health benefits
- mental health benefits
At Wallingford Green Gym we have also been keen to check that our own sessions come up to standard. Two of our members carried out their own informal research. (Which consisted mostly of strapping a heart-rate monitor to a 'guinea-pig' volunteer and taking readings at intervals.) They found that an average Wallingford Green Gym session can be just as effective exercise as a work-out at a conventional gym - only more fun. A second study looked at what happens to our heart rates after we've finished. Is it true that after a hard workout, you go on burning more calories?
IMPORTANT: All Green Gym sessions offer a range of tasks. Volunteers are encouraged to participate at their own pace. Some of our members (like the 'guinea-pig' in our study) are used to high-intensity exercise. Some are completely new to regular exercise - or have not done any in a long time since leaving school. Most of us are somewhere between the two.
Enjoyment
We are not going to pretend that we do not enjoy Green Gym. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes the great British weather does not oblige. But most of the time, we know exactly why no one pays us to do this work: Green Gym is its own reward.
The South Oxfordshire countryside is beautiful in all seasons. Winter is the best time for seeing Red Kites: with a 6-foot wingspan and spectacular plumage, their acrobatic displays and distinctive call can distract even the most seasoned Green Gymmer. January/February brings the snowdrops (across the Chilterns and at Wallingford Castle Meadows - pond area); bluebells follow on, March/April. Spring and summer feature wildflowers and butterflies on the Chilterns downs and in water meadows by the Thames. At the height of summer, a regular task is surveying species of orchids (some of them rare) in areas of a site not usually accessible to the public. Autumn brings the another wealth of colour to woodland - and then once again Red Kites out in force.
If you are lucky enough to have a close encounter with some of the wildlife, it can be an unforgettable experience:
- lifting a log from a woodpile one fine summer's day, and coming face to face with a small field mouse
- standing back from our work on the steep Chilterns scarp to admire the view on a perfect winter's day, and seeing a Red Kite glide by, no more than 10' away - he has swooped close to check out whether our activity has by any chance also furnished him with a meal
Career Development
Most of us do Green Gym volunteering for its own sake (and our health). But we also welcome volunteers who want to check out whether conservation/environment is the right career move for them or just gain general work experience:
- school-age children during half-term/holidays
- students on vacation or days when they don't have lectures
- adults considering a career change
- people returning to the workforce after a break
- transferable skills
- teamwork
- following instructions
- time-keeping
- communication skills
- managing small groups - countryside skills
- use of hand tools (loppers, bowsaw, carpentry saw, billhook, slasher, spade, shovel, fork, mattock, lazy dog, hammer, fencing pliers, monkey-strainer ...)
- tree planting
- tree care
- hedge laying
- path construction
- hanging gates
- fencing
- handling livestock
Depending on the needs of the group, conservation volunteers with Green Gym may be able to get free/subsidised training, accreditation, and experience in:
- first aid
- leading warm-up and cool-down exercises
- planning and leading group sessions
- community-group leadership