We want volunteers to feel like they have the skills needed to support participants and groups when out on the Path, and make participants’ walking experiences as enjoyable as possible. In this, we want them to feel confident and valued in the important role that they do for us and so providing suitable training is a key part of achieving this.
Therefore we have been developing opportunities for volunteers to gain knowledge and insight into the possible sights, sounds and smells when out on the Coast Path. We have such a geographical spread of volunteers and so we decided that going online would be part of the solution to this, and so we developed a monthly online training programme. Throughout 2024, we delivered online training sessions to our volunteers each month. These were one hour in length and in the evening so that as many volunteers as possible could join us.
Images taken from CPC training slideshows.
Not only have session attendees included our CPC volunteer walk leaders and supporters, and project staff, the training offer was taken up by our team of Area and Path reps too. It has been great to see all of the different areas of the Coast Path represented from deepest West Cornwall to Dorset (with many from Torbay, Plymouth and North Devon also coming along).
We picked topics to expand our volunteer (and staff) knowledge on nature and heritage that they might discover whilst out walking on the Coast Path, and invited expert speakers to come along. For example, in our last session in November, we learnt all about dolphins, whales and porpoises along the coastline with Bex Allen from Cornwall Wildlife Trust. In March, we learnt about the amazing life of seals (including the fact that seals have over 50 whiskers on their faces!) from expert, Sue Sayer MBE from Cornwall Seal Group, and how to help safeguard these beautiful creatures from human influences. Another of the year’s highlights was hearing about all of the veracious battles taking place in your local coastal rockpool courtesy of wildlife expert, Paul Naylor. Other topics included coastal birds, smuggling history, bats, boat spotting as well as insect identification.
As well as amazing facts and identification skills, guest speakers have also recommended books and apps to aid identification and encouraged volunteers to help out with surveying and contributing to citizen science. We also took videos of all of the sessions so that we now have a great video resource which can be used in the future.
It has been a great year of learning and we are looking forward to continuing this format for 2025, including some of our own more SWCPA-tailored training sessions within this. Come and volunteer with us, so you too can continue to learn about the amazing coastal environment that we all love.
About Coast Path Connectors
Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Coast Path Connectors project aims to open up coastal walking to a range of new audiences. This project will help improve equity of access along the South West Coast Path by supporting local people in making the most of our amazing trail, for their health and well-being, through a network of new volunteers.
MORE INFORMATION
Email: Coast Path Connectors Project Manager, Alex Turner at alex@southwestcoastpath.org.uk
Website: www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/Get-involved/coast-path-connectors/
The South West Coast Path 