Amid concerns about over-tourism, those who love Eryri will be taking part in a MaD weekend of volunteering
Over the last weekend in August scores of outdoor enthusiasts will be in mountains and countryside of Eryri. But they will be coming not to walk or climb, but to undertake practical conservation tasks to help protect and conserve the National Park as part of Cymdeithas Eryri Snowdonia Society’s Make a Difference, or MaD Weekend.
The activities will include a canoe litter pick, a reptile and amphibian survey, footpath maintenance, an extreme litter pick on Yr Wyddfa, Rhododendron pulling, a family friendly litter pick and a workshop on recording ancient and notable trees on the ancient tree inventory. To keep the volunteers happy and amused, there will be live music in the evening from local band Tacla, a guided mindfulness walk and family friendly nature activities and a treasure hunt.
“We organise volunteering events all year round”, says Jen Willis, the Society’s Events and Volunteering Officer. “Last year our volunteers put in 5,620 hours of work, collected 1,500kg of trash from the mountains and countryside and maintained 30km of footpaths. One of the great things about the Mad Weekend is that it’s open to everyone. This will be the 7th MaD weekend we’ve organised. We keep organising more because the volunteers tell us how much they’ve enjoyed it.”
One of the regular volunteers is Elsa Gregori from London. She says: “I always love how well organised the event is. The staff are always so friendly and welcoming. The volunteering activities give you an opportunity to learn and give back. The evenings are awesome. Feels like family”.
Volunteers can camp or stay in bunkhouse accommodation in Nant Gwynant and travel to various activities in minibuses, so as to reduce the pressure of cars on Eryri’s roads. People can come to the events on the day and avoid the need to stay overnight. There are still spaces left which can be booked through the Society’s website at www.snowdonia-society.org.uk
The event is supported by the UK Government, with funds administered by Cyngor Gwynedd.
