John, 37 from Belfast works part-time and has been a very valued volunteer with the National Trust for over five years.

In John's own words...

Two days a week I am a volunteer in the Belfast area. My day usually starts around 10am with a central collection in Belfast. Wednesday is our ‘rose garden’ day. The rose garden used to belong to a large mansion in the area. When the Trust took over the formal gardens when the land around the Minnowburn beeches was acquired, the rose garden came too. Although the gardens are now derelict, they have an amazing command over the Belfast area.

Currently there is major repair work being carried out on an old 1930s wall, including reclamation of old unused bricks. It really is a wonderful project, I really enjoy my time there, the camaraderie between the other volunteers is brilliant and I cannot wait to see the finished product.

On Saturdays the other group gathers to do some maintenance work, normally around other National Trust properties. The Trust team at the Belfast office is very well organised and have all activities listed for us at least five weeks in advance. This allows us to pick and choose our own area of interest and plan for the weeks ahead. To date there have been a number of volunteer projects. Here are a few examples.

Hedge planting at Ballyquintin

The National Trust plans to turn Ballyquintin, near Portaferry, into an exemplary working farm to show how a decent livelihood can still be made from the land without decimating its wildlife potential. Over the last couple of weeks a large amount of hedgerows have been reinstated which, in due course, will replace barbed wire fences. We hope to continue this by planting another section soon.

Lisnabreeny car park

The focus of this day will be to spruce up the car park, by treating the timber fences, fixing a stile and tending the hedges and plants. Lisnabreeny is at the top end of Cregagh glen in the east of the city. It has an attractive viewpoint, an early Christian Rath and some urban fringe farmland.

Christmas at Crom weekend

The purpose of the weekend is to continue with the much-needed nature conservation projects, which are ongoing at the estate. But it won’t be all work. We’ll get a little tour of the property (the old oak woods are something to behold) and we’ll have a nice little bit of entertainment on the Saturday evening and some food in the Christmas theme (a whole mince pie each!). I’m afraid there may be a charge of a couple of pounds or so to cover food. Most of us will be sleeping on the floors in the visitors centre, so you should bring sleeping bags and sleeping mats or airbeds. However there will be a few beds available for the most deserving.

Unearthing a dry stone wall at Ballyquintin

At Ballyquintin, there is a fine example of a dry stone wall - but it is largely obscured by brambles and other weeds. Today we plan to expose the wall by clearing away the brambles, making minor repairs and allowing the public to see what is becoming an increasingly rare structure.

Hedge planting at Minnowburn

We have lots of hedge planting and tree planting this winter. It’s all part of our policy of managing our countryside in a sensitive manner.

I am sure you will agree volunteering with The National Trust is pretty hard work - but well worthwhile.