Becoming a client of LCV

COVID-19 outbreak: On 2021-05-11 the Scottish Government released an update to the Coronavirus restrictions in force. The relaxation of restrictions is proceeding according to plan and indicates the general level of risk is acceptable. Our tasks in the Edinburgh area resumed in April and we are undertaking tasks elsewhere as well.

Therefore our task programme to the end of June will continue. Hope to see you on task soon.

The LCV trustees' view is that LCV, a registered charity provides "voluntary and charitable services" and "an organised [outdoor] activity". These activities are expressly permitted in the relevant legislation. We may adopt other measures (e.g. restricting numbers) where it is appropriate to do so for the safety of our clients and volunteers.

LCV offer our volunteer labour to a variety of clients who manage land for conservation purposes. We can undertake a variety of work including vegetation management, ponds, fences, treeplanting and more. This page explains how potential clients can obtain the services of LCV.

How can I obtain the services of LCV?

In brief: contact Matt McCabe, our Task Organiser, who will be happy to discuss your requirements. It may help to review the information for volunteers and about typical day tasks.

During the COVID-19 outbreak we are organising our task programme on a monthly basis (rather than quarterly). Furthermore we may be unable to undertake some tasks due to the restrictions required to manage the outbreak. Consequently please get in touch as early as possible. This is particularly important for time-dependent activities like tree planting. Our  Coronavirus: volunteering position statement (draft) describes our broad approach to running tasks safely during the COVID-19 outbreak. We are happy to discuss and address any concerns or additional requirements you may have in this regard.

Requirements for clients

We have a few requirements before we agree to work for any client.

  1. A management plan must exist for the land in question. If you require help in drawing up such a plan, LCV may be able to assist with advice and introductions to experts in other organisations.
  2. Any design work for bridges, paths etc is undertaken by the client. If you are not comfortable doing this work LCV may be able to put you in touch with people who can advise.
  3. There are some tasks that LCV cannot do, usually for insurance reasons. In practice this usually does not limit what we can do all that much. For example we are not allowed to use chainsaws, but we are nevertheless safe, proficient and efficient when felling trees with hand tools.
  4. LCV requires a representative from the client to deal with task arrangements and to work alongside volunteers. This is to ensure the task proceeds according to plan. We may waive this requirement at our discretion.
  5. We do charge a small amount to cover our basic running costs

Charges

For day tasks we charge £5.50 per volunteer-day plus mileage costs for the minibus we use to ferry volunteers to the site (currently £0.65/mile). We charge these amounts to ensure that tasks are free for volunteers.

In addition to the usual day-task charges we also expect that clients will pay for any accomodation required for residential tasks. Usually LCV will stay in a bunkhouse or other basic accomodation when on such tasks.