About the Volunteer Ranger Service
The Queen Elizabeth Country Park Volunteer Ranger Service is an independently constituted group of Volunteers dedicated to giving people the opportunity to become involved in conservation of the wildlife and habitats of the Queen Elziabeth Country Park and other nearby sites, the interpretation of the local countryside and helping others to enjoy the natural environment.
We are also keen on local history and some of our volunteering projects focus upon areas of archaeological interest.
Our Volunteers have a valuable part to play in the management of this wonderful Park and can chose to get involved with a variety of tasks such as practical habitat management, patrolling, assisting in events and guided walks, wildlife monitoring, education and awareness projects, office work and much more.
We also try generate funds to enable the Volunteers to undertake important conservation and visitor management projects.
Volunteer Rangers taking part in a plant restoration project Volunteer Rangers running our Information stand at the Hampshire
Country Fair July 2009
The History of the Volunteer Ranger Service
We are local people who have joined together to do our part in the conservation of the local countryside.
There have been informal Volunteering opportunities at Queen Elizabeth Country Park ever since its creation back in 1976. But it was not until the late 1980's that a more formal arrangement was put in place. With the Country Park creating the first Volunteer Ranger Service. This group was organised by Park Staff and mostly undertook habitat management tasks and helped out with some events. Some of those original volunteers are still volunteering today.
Gradually the range of tasks and projects the Volunteers undertook increased and it was decided that in order to give more people the opportunity to get involved and to have more control over when and where they worked the Volunteers should be formed into a Formal Volunteer Ranger Service that would have its own constitution and raise its own funds.
So in January 2008 the Volunteers became an independent organisation.
In 2009 the Volunteer Ranger Service became 'international' as it became the lead partner of the Queen Elizabeth Parks Twinning Project (
see Twinning Project) and Mr Moses Mapesa, an IUCN Commissioner and Executuve Director of the Ugandan Wildlife Authority, became our patron.
The Volunteer Ranger Service applied for charitable status and was successful in 2010 in becoming a registered charity. This will allow the VRS to seek funding to increase the range of activities and opportunities available to appeal to an even wider range of people.
January 2011 was the official starting date for the Youth Volunteer Ranger Service, open to anyone between the ages of 13 and 17 inclusive.
Go to out contacts page to register your interest in becoming a Volunteer Ranger or to arrange to come along and have a chat. You can also download an application form by clicking on the button below.
Please feel free to download our Constitution Document