David Sclater, a conservation volunteer with the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT), was amongst 200 volunteers whose work was celebrated at a reception hosted by Prime Minister Rt Hon Gordon Brown in the garden at Number 10 Downing Street on Wednesday 22 July.

Previously unemployed, David (aged 20) from Kirkcaldy, joined an SWT conservation team in Fife and helped to rejuvenate an SWT Wildlife Reserve at Carlingnose Point on the Firth of Forth, very close to the PM’s constituency home in Fife.

By clearing invasive shrubs, David and his fellow volunteers have enabled native wild flowers to flourish, leading to improved biodiversity with a wide a variety of insects and birds now attracted to the reserve.

David came to the SWT as part of the ProjectScotland initiative. The experience has enabled him to learn new skills, gain qualifications and set out on a new career.

Sclater said: “Meeting the Prime Minister was a once in a life time opportunity. I feel like I have received something for my giving. The volunteer experience has changed my life for the better and I am so pleased I got involved.”
 
“I owe Scottish Wildlife Trust and ProjectScotland a great deal.  If they hadn’t provided me with the opportunity to volunteer as an SWT conservation team worker I would never have had a chance to learn new skills and widen my knowledge about wildlife habitats.  

“Before volunteering, I had no previous experience working in the wider countryside and had been unemployed for over six months. Now, thanks to my experience and the qualifications I have achieved, I now have a new job with a local landscaping company and feel more motivated to take on new challenges. Thanks to additional ProjectScotland funding I have also completed a qualification in chainsaw use and first aid, and I’m now working towards passing my driving test. Volunteering has really improved my life for the better.”
The Prime Minister said: “I am grateful for the contribution that people right across the country make every day to their local environmental and wildlife projects, giving up their time without pay. The inspirational work they do helps create a better world for us all.
“It is my pleasure to welcome these volunteers to No10, so I can say thank you in person.”
Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said: “The volunteers who are at No 10 today are part of a large network of people looking after our natural environment. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude.
“Defra’s Muck in4Life campaign is a great way for even more people to get stuck in to helping look after the environment with volunteering opportunities across the country, while our £6m Greener Living Fund is helping third sector organisations get people to go green.”
David Blair, SWT’s Conservation Team Supervisor in Fife, said: “David was so enthusiastic and hard-working and watching him learn and develop really makes the work SWT does for volunteers so rewarding. This is about more than wildlife conservation, it’s about the people behind the work and the great difference volunteering opportunities can make. I am pleased David’s achievements have been recognised as he really is a showcase example of a volunteering success story.”

Karen Adamson, Project Scotland, said: “ProjectScotland is very proud of David’s achievements. He is one of our over 200 volunteers from all across Scotland that we have placed with the Scottish Wildlife Trust since 2006. In total, ProjectScotland volunteers at the SWT have dedicated over 175,000 hours of their time to protecting Scotland’s natural environment.”

– ENDS –
Editors’ notes:
• For a photograph of David Sclater with the Prime Minister, contact SWT 0131 312 4744 or email aalabaster@swt.org.uk

• Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) www.swt.org.uk (charity no SC005792) is the largest voluntary body working for all the wildlife of Scotland, representing more than 33,000 members who care for wildlife and the environment. SWT seeks to raise public awareness of threatened habitats and species and manages over 120 reserves Scotland-wide.

• The Wildlife Trusts www.wildlifetrusts.org Across the UK, more than 40,000 people volunteer for The Wildlife Trusts and many undertake frontline practical work on land or at sea.  Many are young, students, unemployed and skilled workers of all ages, gender and ethnicity from rural and urban backgrounds.

• ProjectScotland www.projectscotland.co.uk is a national charity which helps young people realise their potential through volunteering. SWT has been working with Project Scotland for three years to provide young volunteers with vocational experience in practical conservation work.  

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Nicola McGovern, PR Officer, Scottish Wildlife Trust 0131 312 4742