BTCV
Encyclopedia
BTCV is a British
charitable organisation that works to facilitate environmental conservation
through practical tasks undertaken by volunteers. BTCV has 767 staff and works with a volunteer base of 628,000 people.
The organisation's aims include:
On a practical level, BTCV enables 628,000 volunteers per year to engage in conservation work in both the urban
and the rural
environment
.
BTCV also has a for-profit trading arm, BTCV Enterprises, which generates profit to feed back into and support the charity. The company has various government contracts to work with the long-term unemployed, aiming to improve skills and qualifications.
ren and young people to the environment as well as those helping to involve people with learning difficulties in environmental activities.
Some of BTCV's activities include:
, where 42 volunteers cleared dogwood to encourage the growth of juniper
and distinctive chalk downland
flora. One of the volunteers present was David Bellamy
, who went on to became a Vice President of BTCV.
By 1964 the Conservation Corps had expanded its activities to include education
and amenity work in the countryside. In 1966 it moved from a basement office at Queens Gate, Kensington
, to new premises at London Zoo
in Regent's Park
. In 1968 the first training course for volunteers was held. By 1969 membership had increased to 600, and volunteers completed around 6000 workdays a year. The first ever international exchange visit to Czechoslovakia
that year became the forerunner for the International Project Programme of today.
as Patron. In 1971 the local group affiliation scheme was launched.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charitable organisation that works to facilitate environmental conservation
Conservation ethic
Conservation is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity. Secondary focus is on materials conservation and energy conservation, which are seen as important to...
through practical tasks undertaken by volunteers. BTCV has 767 staff and works with a volunteer base of 628,000 people.
Overall aims
BTCV's vision is "a better environment where people are valued, included and involved".The organisation's aims include:
- Enabling people to make a difference in their lives and improve the places around them.
- Providing opportunities and choice for people to improve their lives.
- Local mobilisation to have a global impact (e.g. through activities to combat climate change).
- Delivering social and environmental equality.
On a practical level, BTCV enables 628,000 volunteers per year to engage in conservation work in both the urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
and the rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
.
BTCV also has a for-profit trading arm, BTCV Enterprises, which generates profit to feed back into and support the charity. The company has various government contracts to work with the long-term unemployed, aiming to improve skills and qualifications.
Activities
The charity attempts to be inclusive and accessible to all, running a diverse range of activities across the UK. Many are focused around practical conservation work, but BTCV also provides extensive training, work experience and education opportunities. BTCV's projects are varied and include community gardens, food growing projects, taking care of parks and nature reserves, tree planting and woodland management, dry stone walling and projects to increase biodiversity. Projects also exist to help introduce childChild
Biologically, a child is generally a human between the stages of birth and puberty. Some vernacular definitions of a child include the fetus, as being an unborn child. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority...
ren and young people to the environment as well as those helping to involve people with learning difficulties in environmental activities.
Some of BTCV's activities include:
- Conservation projects
- Green GymGreen GymBTCV's Green Gym programme aims to provide people with a way to enhance their fitness and health while taking action to improve the outdoor environment...
, a programme to promote the health benefits of working in the outdoors - Conservation holidays, both in the UK and worldwide
- Providing support to local community groups
- Providing accredited training
- Consultancy
- Environmental educationEnvironmental educationEnvironmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to...
and waste education programmes for children and young people - Providing training for the long-term unemployed
The Conservation Corps
In 1959 the (then) Council for Nature appointed Brigadier Armstrong to form the Conservation Corps, with the objective of involving young volunteers, over the age of 16, in practical conservation work. The corp's first project was at Box Hill, SurreySurrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, where 42 volunteers cleared dogwood to encourage the growth of juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
and distinctive chalk downland
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
flora. One of the volunteers present was David Bellamy
David Bellamy
David James Bellamy OBE is a British author, broadcaster, environmental campaigner and botanist. He has lived in County Durham since 1960.-Career:...
, who went on to became a Vice President of BTCV.
By 1964 the Conservation Corps had expanded its activities to include education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and amenity work in the countryside. In 1966 it moved from a basement office at Queens Gate, Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, to new premises at London Zoo
London Zoo
London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...
in Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
. In 1968 the first training course for volunteers was held. By 1969 membership had increased to 600, and volunteers completed around 6000 workdays a year. The first ever international exchange visit to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
that year became the forerunner for the International Project Programme of today.
The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
In 1970 the Conservation Corps started to operate under the new name of British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), with Prince PhilipPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
as Patron. In 1971 the local group affiliation scheme was launched.
- In 1972 the Conserver magazine was launched.
- By 1974 there were 3,000 registered volunteers and 57 groups had registered with BTCV.
- In 1975 the BTCV Membership scheme was started
- In 1977 BTCV set up an ecological park opposite the Tower of LondonTower of LondonHer Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
as part of the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations. - In 1984 BTCV moved its headquarters to Wallingford, Oxfordshire.
BTCV
The organisation underwent a second change of identity in 2000, taking the former acronym 'BTCV' as its new name in full.- In August 2006 BTCV moved to its present headquarters in DoncasterDoncasterDoncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
. The new "environmentally friendly" building features a sedumSedumSedum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Crassulaceae, members of which are commonly known as stonecrops. It contains around 400 species of leaf succulents that are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, varying from annual and creeping herbs to shrubs. The plants have...
covered roof - hence its name - Sedum House. The Scottish office is in Stirling, the Welsh office in Whitchurch, CardiffWhitchurch, CardiffWhitchurch is a suburb in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is approximately 3 miles north of the centre of the city on the A470 road and A4054 road. Its estimated population as of 2004 was 15,649. It falls within the Whitchurch & Tongwynlais ward.-History:Whitchurch draws its name from...
and the Northern Ireland office in Belfast.