Volunteers

You will need to be able to get to the sites, and walk to the river to do the samples. We have chosen places that are as accessible as possible but they do require uneven and muddy terrain, as well as the mobility to get a river sample and do observations. The sampling is designed for adults, but there is no upper age limit!

We will be sampling three stretches of the Upper Medway (see above), with designated spots as we have particular characteristics in mind when we chose our sites. You have a choice as to what stretch of the river is more convenient/interesting for you and it might be possible to organise for you to take particular sites within this as well.

We ask that you work in pairs to make it safer. We will create groups per stretch and we will help you find someone to work with. If you have someone who you want to sample with, that is absolutely fine as well.

We will have arranged access with all private landowners and in some cases we will have named volunteers and do introductions if necessary. If the landowner requires it, we can give you a badge or letter to take with you in the unlikely case this happens. 

The sampling and invertebrate observations do not require you to get in the water. You might need to be nearer for the biodiversity observations, but no further in than the knee (and not everyone is required to do this). 

The idea is to establish a time and day that works for the groups and that is relatively consistent, as we need this consistency for our methodology and results. 

No, you don’t! All you need is a willingness to collect samples and observations. We’ll provide training and support, and you just need to record the results either on paper or in an app.

Yes, training will be provided as well as a hands-on practice experience to help you become comfortable with the methods.

We really hope you can join the training—it’s a great chance to meet others involved in the project and get organized into groups. If you can’t attend but are eager to volunteer, don’t worry—we’ll work something out! Just sign up and let us know. We’ll also create training videos to show you what to do and help you refresh your skills later.

We have a volunteer coordinator at hand to help, as well as – if you agree- a group chat – where this can be resolved by another person taking over your shift. This is the same in case you need to go on holidays, are ill or any other eventualities. 

We take data protection seriously. We will ask your permission to share your phone number with your group in order to organise shifts but we won’t share your details with anyone that is not part of the project management without your permission.

The Upper Medway, as most rivers in England, is not in good health and is one of the least tested and studied. This project, with your help, will establish a much needed baseline of what is the health of the river in terms of particular aspects of pollution and its biodiversity. This is crucial to generate evidence, and add to the pressure for change, but also to establish what the problem is and where the river is most affected.  

We won’t ask you to take any risks while collecting samples. If the weather is severe, we’ll reschedule the sampling for another time.

We hope you feel proud of helping to improve the river’s health and making a positive change. You’ll also gain the training and skills to measure river pollution and track biodiversity. You’ll have a clearer understanding of what’s happening to the river and why it matters. Plus, you’ll connect with others in your community who share the same goals.

The project will be a mix of independent work – with a buddy – as well as opportunities to come together – through the training as well as a final workshop to celebrate and make sense of the work that has been done so far. 

We will provide a list of the sites as well as a description of the access and parking nearby.

There are locations that can be covered without a car, but many will require access to a vehicle/transport (bike). If you don’t drive it might be good to choose sites that are within walking/cycling distance.