Continuing the journey: Understanding the experiences of volunteers after ‘Wild Skill, Wild Spaces

Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust’s (MWT) four-year nature-based wellbeing support programme Wild Skills, Wild Spaces (WSWS) included two phases. The first phase was a 12-week nature-based (ecotherapy) referral programme and the second included participants being offered the chance to continue to engage in the programme through the WSWS Friends of Group. The WSWS Friends of Group still received support from delivers, but at a reduced level. In June 2025 the four-year project came to an end.In preparation for the end of WSWS, an independent volunteer group was set up to enable participants to continue to volunteer independently at one of the MWT nature reserves1. Specifically, volunteers were offered the opportunity to engage once a week, independently and would have direct contact with the MWT reserves manager. To date a group of seven volunteers frequently attend the weekly independent volunteer group to support the conservation of the MWT nature reserve.To capture the experiences of volunteering post WSWS, the WSWS evaluation team from the Centre for Health, Activity, and Wellbeing Research (CAWR) at Cardiff Metropolitan University conducted a focus group. The aim of the focus group was to understand the experiences of those individuals who were part of the MWT independent volunteer group.