The Big Balsam Bash!

Every year, we organise a series of community volunteering days in late spring/ early summer to tackle the invasive species, Himalayan Balsam which is causing issues across the UK. These events are free to attend and all our volunteers are rewarded with a free tea and scone! Community volunteer days are organised by the Ramblers Retreat with our partners Forestry England and led by the Churnet Valley Living Landscape Project, headed by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.

If you’ve got any free time; from half an hour to a full day, we’d really appreciate the help! We‘ll all be working together to remove this invasive, non-native plant species from specified areas of our beautiful SSSI valley to allow native plants to flourish, our actions will also hopefully clear space for the development of Dimmingsdale’s amazing bluebells next spring as well as so many other benefits!

To find out when our next balsam bash is taking place, visit our events page or take a look at our social media!

Be part of a volunteer team dedicated to the care and preservation of Dimmingsdale.

Has Dimmingsdale always had a special place in your heart? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to get involved in conservation in a specialist area like the Churnet Valley? We’re looking for volunteers who want to spend at least a day a week in the valley, carrying out visitor engagement, maintenance and conservation tasks on a weekly basis. You’ll be working alongside the amazing Ramblers Retreat Senior Team and the Forestry England area beat!

We’ve got no specific requirements, just that you have a love of Dimmingsdale and a day a week free to spend in Staffordshire’s hidden gem.

We currently have no spaces on our volunteer team, but there’s some exciting developments in the pipeline! Make sure to check back soon!

Team Ramblers Volunteering

When we’re not making and serving delicious meals, drinks and homemade cakes you can find us out in Dimmingsdale, showing a lot of love and appreciation to a hidden gem that we’re so lucky to work in!

From litter picking, chatting to and directing our lovely visitors to being waist-deep in one of the ponds, carrying out conservation work with our partners Forestry England, we’ll always do what we can to care for the valley we call home.