A decade of commitment: Meet Paul Hirons
The Heart of England Forest is creating and conserving a vast, connected forest across Warwickshire
and Worcestershire. Through the restoration of woodland, grassland, and wetland habitats, we are
helping nature recover and supporting rare and threatened species across the West Midlands.
Our vision is to grow the Forest to 12,000 hectares, planting 12 million trees. Creating a resilient landscape for generations to come - a place where wildlife can flourish and people can find peace, connection, and community, and our volunteers help make this vision a reality with every hour they give. One volunteer in particular has shown over a decade of commitment and has contributed many hours to making a positive impact on the Forest. Meet Paul Hirons, volunteer, poet, and all-around nice guy, in our Q&A below.
When did you start volunteering with us, and what inspired you to get involved?
My first volunteering day was spent at the Coughton Park Tree Nursery on Tuesday, 4th August 2015 - my journal for that day mentions 'hard, dirty work with a small group of very pleasant people' and 'sore legs and back, various mosquito bites'. From that, you could tell I was a career office worker, recently retired (or so I thought).
I joined the charity because I lived close to Dorsington and was aware of the charity and the colourful story of Felix Dennis, whom I never met. I couldn't contribute until I'd left my job as an IT Project Manager. It was the early days of volunteering, I rang Stephen Coffey (the Head Forester at the time), who asked me to turn up at the nursery.
I've been a regular ever since, although I did return to full-time work during 2016, limiting my volunteering to car park duties at the garden open days.
What has your experience been volunteering with us?
The experience has been very good on the whole. I have seen the team grow from informal, small-scale sessions through to planned, organised, focused events taking place throughout the week.
The arrival of a new manager/coordinator put the whole thing on a more formal footing, leading to a booking system and, recently, a new app, Volunteero (which I helped to test). The work has contributed greatly to my health, fitness, and well-being, although recent problems with my knees have forced me to stand back from some of the tree planting.
The best thing for me has been the interaction with like-minded people (most of them retired, like me) and the good-natured banter with them (and light-hearted ribbing of the Heart of England Forest staff who think they are in charge).
What kinds of activities or projects have you been involved in?
I've probably done everything there is to do as a volunteer at least once!
Visitor surveys, planting trees, clearing bracken and bramble, heathland clearance, clearing paths, ride maintenance, removing plastic tree covers, identifying and counting worms, pond clearance, dragonfly surveying, seed collecting, seed processing, planting seedlings, cleaning statues, developing and leading guided tours of the statues, car-park attendant, orchard planting and clearing, hedgerow maintenance, hedge laying, and more!
And over the 10 years, I'm pretty sure I've visited and worked on every site on the Heart of England Forest's estate.
Is there a particular activity or memory that stands out as especially meaningful to you?
The 24/25 planting season in the area close to Coughton Court sticks in my mind for a number of reasons. It was a joint effort between staff and volunteers, and we had the funding to introduce new and better methods into the planting process. I spent some tiring but rewarding days in those fields and was there on the last afternoon, where we were 'finding and fixing'. It was a great feeling looking at the work we'd accomplished over some hard months. A substantial drought hit these plantings during the summer, and unfortunately, we had to go back to carry out substantial remedial work.
Have you noticed any positive impact from your volunteering?
Taking part in volunteering is good for the body and mind, especially if you're getting on a bit. Its still a key part of my life, although I might have to rein back some of the more strenuous activities. The positive impact on the environment comes from my small contribution to the group activities - maintaining the existing forests and adding to them incrementally.
What skills or knowledge have you gained through volunteering with us?
I know a lot more about local flora and fauna and have developed skills to help me appreciate the countryside. I'm just there to contribute my time and effort, so I'm happy just to be pointed at the work required.
"Give it a go, but choose the activities that interest you and will fit within your physical capabilities."
