A CHANCE to improve skills, knowledge and get some fresh air and exercise is available for people passionate about the environment.

South West Lakes Trust is recruiting volunteer conservation officers to assist the conservation team with site work programmes.

The trust is seeking people to help ensure the protection of key sites for wildlife and future generations, and to help steer the direction of future conservation work.

The volunteers' workload will include practical conservation tasks such as scrub management, invasive species control, grassland management, hedgerow and woodland management and flora and fauna recording.

Volunteering is a great chance to gain experience and access training opportunities. Last year 2, 214 days of assistance were given to the trust by volunteers and in return, training was offered in relevant skills.

Burrator Reservoir and Lopwell Dam are both in need of volunteers. The hours are flexible and can be weekly, twice monthly or in any other arrangement. For more information contact conservation officer Neil Reeves on 01822 855700, email [email protected]">[email protected] or visit vacancies on http://www.swlakestrust.org.uk">www.swlakestrust.org.uk