Authored by Andy Shipley, Susanna Bayliss and Sarah Bell
An exciting volunteering and training opportunity has come up as part of our ‘Re-Storying Landscapes for Social Inclusion’ project with Westonbirt Arboretum and Natural Inclusion.
We are working together to involve blind and partially sighted people as sensory guides in the magical Westonbirt Arboretum, in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. We are looking for people with lived experience of visual impairment, in particular practical use of their non-visual senses for mobility and day-to-day activities to become a Visually Impaired Sensory Guide, or VI Sensory Guide.
You will take visitors on a sensory journey, assisted by sighted helpers. You’ll be supported to shape and complete a course of sensory guide training beforehand. A contribution towards out-of-pocket travel expenses will be reimbursed (up to a 32 mile round trip - more information is available on this on enquiry). You just need to bring a love of woods, trees and nature, lots of enthusiasm, a willingness to learn more about the Arboretum, and an ability to talk to people in an engaging way.
Originally planted by the wealthy Holford family almost 200 years ago, Westonbirt Arboretum is one of the most important plant collections in the world. Now managed by Forestry England, Westonbirt plays a vital part in research and conservation, as well as being the perfect place to experience rare and interesting plants from the furthest corners of the globe.
Susanna Bayliss, Westonbirt’s Interpretation Officer, explained “We are truly excited to work with new volunteers who can guide participants on the tours on a fully immersive journey through the arboretum, offering them new ways of connecting with the environment around them through a multi-sensory approach, which they may not have previously explored”.
Andy Shipley of Natural Inclusion added, “As a nature connection practitioner with a visual impairment, I am interested in how greater use of our non-visual senses can affect the way that people experience the natural world. With this project, we aim to shift perceptions about the experiences of visually impaired people, and demonstrate that there is much to be gained from exploring another perspective”.
Sensory guides will be invited onsite from March/April 2021 (Covid-19 permitting) to shape and participate in a collaborative training process, as we work to adapt Westonbirt’s current guide training process to become fully inclusive. The training will involve five full day sessions on site, over five months, as well as opportunities to join in with and learn from tours run by existing volunteers. VI Sensory Guides are invited to bring along a friend, partner or family member to share the full experience (training included), should this be of interest.
If you, or someone you know, would be interested in becoming a Sensory Guide as part of this project, please contact the team for an initial chat about the role and what it will involve at:
volunteer.westonbirt@forestryengland.uk
Or you can contact me, Sarah Bell, at Sarah.Bell@exeter.ac.uk and I can link you up with the Westonbirt team.
More information, including a volunteer role description, is available via Westonbirt’s website, forestryengland.uk/westonbirt/volunteering.
We have also uploaded a larger print version of the role description for download here and please do just email if you would like this as a word document or in a different format.
