Consultant Required: Volunteer Network Development

25 January 2021

On behalf of the South West Peak Landscape Partnership (SWPLP), the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) is looking for a contractor, experienced in working with volunteers, to assess current and future volunteering requirements and opportunities in the South West Peak area.

Funded largely by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, plus a range of match funding, the South West Peak Landscape Partnership Scheme (SWPLPS) started its delivery phase in January 2017 and is scheduled to complete in December 2021. Volunteering is an important part of the delivery of the Landscape Partnership Scheme (LPS). The LPS is structured with 18 projects being delivered by 6 partners; some of the projects are delivered by dedicated Project Officers, others by existing members of staff from one of the delivery partners. Volunteering features in 14 of those projects. Volunteers have to date contributed more than 3300 days of time valued at over £350,000. This spans a range of activities including: hay meadow survey and restoration, upland wader surveys, cultural heritage asset surveys, detailed technical drawing, building leaky dams, tree planting, sphagnum moss planting, footpath repairs, editing oral history recordings, developing walking trails, refurbishment of community buildings, historical research, assessing community grant applications and much more.

Whilst the partnership does not employ a volunteer coordinator, most volunteers are managed centrally via an online database called Better Impact. Other volunteers, not registered centrally, are managed directly by the individual Project Officers/Project Leads. Volunteering information can be found on the partnership website by clicking here.

The continuation of volunteering is a fundamental part of keeping the community engaged and involved with conserving the heritage of the South West Peak (SWP) and providing a legacy for the LPS.

Most of the LPS projects have a budget for volunteer training, travel and expenses; however, there is currently an underspend in these areas across the LPS. Using this resource to review volunteering across the LPS Projects and assess future volunteer requirements will enable the development of a coordinated approach to sustainable volunteering models in the South West Peak.

This contract will be managed by the SWPLP Scheme Manager. The successful consultant will be required to work closely with all SWPLP Project Officers and project leads.

Quotes due by 8 February.

For more information please click here to download a PDF of the Invitation to Quote.