Conservation grazing volunteers wanted in East Yorkshire

Yorkshire Water is looking for volunteers to support conservation efforts at its Tophill Low nature reserve site in East Yorkshire in the coming months.

Willing volunteers would be tasked with helping the reserve wardens to maintain the welfare of the large numbers of resident livestock by completing regular checks on the animals.

Large numbers of goats and cattle live at Tophill Low, where they support conservation through grazing and natural land maintenance. The most recent additions are four rare Oxford Sandy and Black piglets – a traditional British breed which has previously escaped extinction and is currently on the Rare Breed Survival Trust watchlist.

Between the volunteers, with the assistance of Yorkshire Water colleagues and graziers, daily checks of water supply for the animals, potential illness or injury, and fence safety will be completed.

Richard Hampshire, nature reserve warden at Yorkshire Water, said: “Tophill Low covers a large area, and we have large numbers of livestock on site to support our conservation efforts. The welfare of these animals is our highest priority, and keeping tabs on them daily is important work – it means we can catch illness or injury as soon as possible, for example.

“We know that the local community here enjoys being involved in our work at the reserve, and we really appreciate the support. Having more people available to look after the animals means that graziers can spend more time on conservation in the wider Hull Valley, and it also means that we can comfortably bring rare breeds, like the Oxford Sandy and Black piglets, to our site.”

Anybody interested in signing up to complete animal welfare checks at Tophill Low is asked to send a message via the Tophill Low Facebook page. Volunteering efforts are expected to begin in September.