Meet Alan Heaton, Canoe Safari Volunteer at Martin Mere
Alan Heaton, volunteer at Martin Mere for around 10 years now, joined after wanting to turn his passion for nature into something valuable.
“I’ve always had a passion for nature, I just wondered how best I could utilise that. I used to visit Martin Mere for birdwatching, and I would help out with the commentary in the early days of the wild bird feeds.
“One of the volunteers here told me to go and get the uniform and make it official, which I eventually did and have been here ever since, helping with the canoe safari, guided walks, and other general roles.”
During our spring and summer period, Alan helps out at our canoe safari and is best known for his guided boat tours. In fact, the canoe safari is where Alan had his most memorable moment as a volunteer.
“Last year, I had the pleasure of providing a guided boat to a wheelchair user and his wife who is deaf. Our boat is wheelchair friendly, and after getting off the boat, they said it was the best experience they had in a long time. The pleasure on their faces that they’d been able to do something that they didn’t think they could do - that was lovely”
Alan is a big lover of nature even outside of volunteering at Martin Mere. In his spare time, he works on rewilding his garden and his local church’s community garden. He also enjoys walks - which is why he also provides guided walks at Martin Mere each winter!
"The best part about volunteering is being able to contribute to conservation and hopefully getting the general public interested in nature and conservation too"
Volunteering Week
If you’d like to find out more about our volunteering opportunities, drop in each day from 1-3 from 24 Feb - 1 March 2024. There will be an opportunity to speak with our friendly team, look at each of our roles, and get to know the site better. Find out more here.
