Please see the list below for our upcoming volunteering opportunities :

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Village Recorder

This role could be filled either by an individual or even a group.  The Recorder works with the Suffolk Recorder Manager and submits details of things which are going on in the village.  There are no hard and fast rules about what that consists of and it might be things which interest the recorder.  There is no weekly commitment just a brief annual report and sending info to the Suffolk Recorder whenever you think you have something which should be recorded for posterity,

 

Community Gardeners

There are two different volunteering elements here.  The first is joining in with the team on their weekly session down at the community Kitchen and Wildlife Garden or, if that isn't convenient, consider other work that you could be involved with in the garden.  The second is getting involved with making areas of the village more attractive along the lines of the wonderful work that Ann does down by the entrance of the Church Road Allotments and also with the Roy Brown Memorial Garden.  The council is hoping to take over some open spaces in the village and it might be that, if there is a site near your house that you might be interested in helping to take care of it or it may not be a piece of council land which we may need to get the owners permission to plant and green up areas.  As a parish council we are committed to protecting the environment and dealing with climate crisis in whatever ways that we can.

 

Climate Carer

Do you care about the environment?  Are you worried about the Climate Crisis?  Do you wish you could do more? As a Climate Carer you would become part of the Kessingland Climate Forum which will be facilitated by the parish council but will depend on the enthusiasm of the community.  The council already has some ideas but we definitely don't have all the answers.  We want to bring together passionate members of the community to look into ways that we has a community could have an effect.  It might be in making re-cycling easier in the village an improving the the range of recycling banks in the village or just producing a recycling map of the village showing what recycling is available and where.  You may have different ideas on how you can recycle or reuse items which might interest the community.  This would be a volunteer role where you would control your input.  You might be an ideas person or a practical hands on person and both are as important as everything in between.  The forums might be bi-monthly to start off with  and then become quarterly so they don't interfere with your other commitments too much.

 

Marsh Mate

The council has a small area of the marsh which it looks after on behalf of the community and is a mini nature reserve.  There is a small, dedicate group who look after the site and they would welcome some more volunteers

 

Litter Picker

There is a dedicated team of volunteers who all go out tending the village and cleaning up litter.  They mostly split up into small groups to tackle different areas of the village.  Usually they go out on the same day each week but some also do sessions on alternative days that suit them.  It might be that you don't want to join other people but would like to see your area of the village to look nicer.  Either way we'd love to know as we can either offer support to you if you or you and your neighbours wants to take on an area or we can let you know when the next group will be out so that you can join that.  

 

Beach Buddy

These are volunteers who go out each week and carry out a beach clean during the season.  As with the litter pickers it is generally done one day of the week and is a friendly social group.

 

Village News Columnist / Contributor

The Village News comes out once a month electronically with some paper copies left around the village so people can read them in situ.  The Village News is edited by one of the councillors who is generally a member of the Events & Communications Committee but it has grown so that it provides a mix of information about the council, information about what various groups in the village are doing and what is happening.  This is a lot so we welcome contributors.  We want the VIllage News to be your voice to let the village know what you are doing.  If you run a club or society, or you are passionate about gardening, cooking, puzzles, music, TV, film etc or you might be a local historian, environmentalist, health worker as long as your contribution does not break laws or is defamatory,  we would love to hear from you.  It does not have to be every month and it may even be a single, on off article.  We also include the articles as they are received, we would only turn aside articles if they are trying to incite or misrepresent or if they are for a commercial interest.

 

Community Fridge Champions

The council, working with the Library and other organisations, have set up a Community Fridge in the Library.  The aim of this is primary to reduce food waste.  An important part of making this work will be volunteers.  There are basically two types of volunteers those who will help out with the fridges, helping people who are bringing in supplies and getting those supplies out on display so that people can access them.  The other key volunteers are the collectors.  These people will go around the village when donors are closing and collect the produce and bring it to the community fridge.  In time depending on the numbers of volunteers and the success of the Community Fridge then we may look at enlarging the project. 

 

Accessibility Auditors

The Parish Council would like to find people of various abilities to take note of any accessibility related issues in the village that may need our attention.  The council would like to try and do an initial audit of the whole village and different people might find different issues.  We can then feed all the results to Suffolk Highways and keep track of developments via the Planning & HIghways Committee (of which the auditors would form a working group) which takes place quarterly. We would also hope that this group would also inspect any improvements made along with councillors and then carry out assessments of the results of the work and review at regular interviews.

 

Tree Warden

A tree warden is not a specifically Kessingland position but part of a formal set-up by the Tree Council.  If you are interested then you can find out more https://treecouncil.org.uk/tree-wardens/

 

Youth Club Volunteer

We are looking for people to help out with our Youth Club, which currently runs on Friday evenings every other week. The Youth Club has an employed Youth Leader and we are recruiting another leader.  As a volunteer you would commit to attend most sessions of the Youth Club and the council will look to organise training in Youth Leadership for those who are interested in developing your skills.  Ideally volunteers would be younger in order to relate with the members.

 

Skills Sharer

We are looking for interesting people in the village who may have unusual, rare or interesting skills and would like to either demonstrate or talk about them.  It might be an interest in local history, thatching or whittling, copying bird calls, creating nature homes in peoples gardens, propagating plants or anything within reason.

 

Warm Rooms host

As a warm room host, you would welcome newcomers and introduce them to other attendees and ensure that they have refreshments.  You would also keep a record of the number of attendees both for grant purposes and for replenishing supplies.

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All of the above are voluntary roles in Kessingland but sometimes other voluntary opportunities come up.  This is a current opportunity:

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Free opportunities for young people to get involved with nature

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Young people in Suffolk and Essex aged between 13-18 are encouraged to take part in hands-on conservation work as part of a popular volunteering scheme.

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The Coast & Vale Youth Rangers is a free volunteer group for young people aged 13-18 who are interested in gaining hands-on skills and experience in conservation and environmental work.

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Organised by the Dedham Vale and Coast & Heaths Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty team, sessions usually take place outdoors on the first Sunday morning of each month at various green spaces on the Suffolk and Essex border.

Activities are varied and include practical conservation work, wildlife surveys, beach cleans, community tasks, bushcraft and outdoor pursuits with tasks taking place in a range of locations such as Flatford, Dedham, Mistley, Assington and Wrabness.

Emma Black, AONB Countryside Projects Officer said: “Becoming a Coast & Vale Youth Ranger is a great way for young people to get free, practical experience in conservation and environmental work. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet new friends, build confidence and gain valuable skills for the workplace under the supervision of trained experts”.

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No experience is needed just lots of enthusiasm and a willingness to get stuck in and have some fun! All training and equipment provided. Rangers can either meet at the activity location or book a lift in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’s minibus from Ipswich.

For more information, please contact Emma Black, AONB Countryside Projects Officer at emma.black@suffolk.gov.uk. You can read more about Coast & Vale Youth Rangers at www.suffolkcoastandheaths.org or www.dedhamstourvaley.org.

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