Get Involved

Chester Barnes e-mail me @ barnesfamily114@gmail.com

Hello, I am a founding member of The Friends Of Thursley Common. We are all volunteers, working as volunteer wardens under Natural England stewardship. NE has responsibility to manage the reserve.

I love being on the common, watching the wildlife and witnessing the changing seasons. Walking and working with friends as a warden.

We are always looking for more volunteers to assist in our mission to protect and preserve the reserve. If you would like to find out more please contact me.

Become a Volunteer Warden.

What does it involve

Joining a fellow warden at times of high use by the public. To engage with visitors and share our knowledge and tips to enable them to make the most of their visit. Sometimes, it might just to say hello. Many times visitors can share their own knowledge and experiences with us. At times we do have to engage a visitor that might not understand or appreciate the special place that the reserve is and that it is heavily protected. When this happens we talk and inform and hopefully persuade the visitor to respect, protect and preserve the reserve.

What happens if we see a direct threat to the reserve when walking/cycling/riding.

If a visitor has lit a fire or is using a BBQ then we will call 999 and ask for the fire service. The common is very susceptible to fire and they quickly get out of control, so we do not take a chance we call the fire service. We will not engage the visitor directly.

If a visitor is off-piste , digging, damaging plants or structures then we report the details to the reserve managers. In the case of the use of motor vehicles on the common or vandalism then I expect we would call the police.