Shake Off the Festive Excess with a Conservation Workout on Portland

Shake Off the Festive Excess with a Conservation Workout on Portland

Over-indulged over the festive season? Feeling the need for some fresh air, movement and a good reason to get outdoors? Help is at hand — the much-loved Conservation Work Parties are back, offering a relaxed but rewarding way to ease into the new year.

The first of three Friday sessions kicks off on 9 January 2026 at Broadcroft Quarry Butterfly Reserve, Portland, where volunteers will be helping to manage scrub and protect one of Dorset’s most important wildlife sites.

The work will focus on controlling invasive species such as clematis, buddleia and bramble, which threaten to overwhelm the reserve if left unchecked. If conditions allow, there may also be some controlled burning as part of the habitat management programme.

The sessions are a collaboration between the Dorset branch of Butterfly Conservation, EuCAN, and the Dorset Wildlife Trust, bringing together volunteers of all abilities for a practical “casual workout” with a real conservation impact.

Participants are asked to meet at 10am next to the recycling centre at Broadcroft. Volunteers should bring loppers, bowsaws and secateurs if they have them, along with lunch and refreshments.

The work parties play a vital role in maintaining the open scrub habitat needed by species such as the Small Blue butterfly, pictured above, which relies on carefully managed landscapes to survive.

Anyone wishing to attend is asked to get in touch in advance and provide a contact number in case plans need to change due to the weather.

For further information, contact nigelspring@yahoo.co.uk 

With two further Friday sessions planned, there’s no better excuse to get moving, enjoy Portland’s wild spaces, and start the year doing something positive — for both body and nature.