Friends of Kings Norton Nature Reserve

   FKNNR is registered as a charity (number 1122293).

      Volunteers needed!

Many small charities rely on the interest and goodwill of volunteers to progress their aims and objectives. The FKNNR is no different. The weekly Tuesday WorkOuts (TWOs), weekend litter-picks during the year, the annual Spring event, promotional activities at local events during the year, the occasional guided walks, and working on the Nature Reserve with school and other parties – none would take place without the shared interest of members wishing to maintain and preserve a valuable community resource, and a willingness to give up some time to achieve that.

Any voluntary body requires a degree of organisation.  The FKNNR constitution has a Friends Committee, comprising a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary, and up to ten ordinary members.  Within that overall membership, there are also the roles of Volunteer Co-ordinator and Education Liaison Officer.

The Friends Committee manages the affairs of the organisation in accordance with the constitution.  It meets four times a year, and there is also an Annual General Meeting in July.

The Posts of Secretary and Membership Secretary

Unfortunately, for personal reasons, both the Secretary and the Membership Secretary will be resigning with effect from the AGM this July . Both posts are important to the smooth functioning of the FKNNR, and two volunteers are urgently needed to take on the roles.

Briefly, the Secretary arranges meetings, timetables and venues.  He or she will prepare and distribute the agenda and other necessary papers  to the members of the committee; take notes and produce minutes for them, to ensure that any actions arising are implemented.  He or she will ensure that the charity acts legally and in accordance with the terms of the constitution. Where appropriate, he or she will deal with correspondence and enquiries, including contact with the Charity Commission.

The Membership Secretary deals with all matters relating to  FKNNR members and their subscriptions. He or she will therefore deal with membership enquiries; applications, renewals and cancellations; encouraging the use of standing orders and gift-aid by members; chasing up subscriptions; maintaining the list of members, and reporting the current membership position to the Friends Committee.  Whilst the present systems work satisfactorily, the Friends are currently trialling a software package which aims to simplify the work of the Membership Secretary by automating some of these procedures.

Whilst relevant experience in either role would be helpful, it is  not essential.  A suitable ability and a willingness to try the role would be a good start.  The present Secretary and Membership Secretary will continue to be available and  provide any support and advice  requested by the new postholders. 

If you might be interested in helping with either of these roles, please call any of the following  as soon as possible:- 

You can also email us at enquiries@fknnr.org.uk

Active Volunteers

The work of the Friends relies on active volunteers.  Most of our practical work on the Reserve is on the Tuesday WorkOuts (TWOs).  Many of our active volunteers are retired, and sadly some are becoming less active as they get older!  Although we welcome volunteers of any age, we would like to see younger people coming along to help us so that the maintenance and care of the Reserve will continue in the future. 

Recent trends in more flexible working hours and homeworking may enable those who are still in employment to consider volunteering.  We meet on  Tuesdays at 10.30 a.m. and work until 12.30 / 1.00 p.m., although a few continue to work on into the afternoon.  However, we welcome any amount of time that a person can offer. There is certainly plenty to do on a 67 acre Reserve, whatever the season!  The work can be tailored to whatever level of activity or interest a person has, from litter picking, through weaving willow surrounds for benches, to pruning hedges, planting or cutting branches of trees.  Any  tools, training and advice are provided.  We also arrange two or three litter-picks during the year at weekends, to encourage participation by members who are unable to join us during the week.

The venues for the TWOs change weekly.  The programme of work is on our Diary page.  Just turn up at the venue and join in.

Any help on our activities will be appreciated.  Just come along and give it a try!  If you want to ask about working with us, just phone any of the four officers mentioned above.  We’ll be happy to hear from you.

Graham Layton   Secretary      June 2022