Animals and Environment

Cambo Estates

Who They Are:

Cambo Heritage Trust was established to promote horticulture, education, arts and heritage at Cambo Estate. On site, they have gardens, woodlands, a vegetarian café, and a visitors centre. The goal of the organisation is to promote sustainable living and the conservation of native flora. Cambo Estate lies on the east coast of Fife, 7 miles south of St Andrews. The present-day estate, which has been in the Erskine family for over 300 years, dates from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. They welcome visitors and often have events such as creative workshops, markets, guided walks, practical workshops, etc.

Volunteer’s Role:

At Cambo Estate, there are a wide range of activities students can get involved with! Volunteers can work in the gardens, work in the gift shop, or help with community projects---or all of the above! In the gardens, there is ground prep and sowing, weeding, harvesting, composting, pruning, and picking.In the gift shop, volunteers will be looking at ways in which merchandise can be displayed nicely and 'window dressing', running the shop, greeting customers, and being a historical guide. For community projects, volunteers can help with publicity, project management, community engagement, and social media. Cambo Gardens has volunteer sessions on Monday afternoons, Tuesday mornings, and Friday afternoons. Volunteers can contact the project if they want to volunteer at a time more convenient for them. There is no minimum time commitment for the project, and it runs over the summer, so there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.

Logistics:

• Interested students will fill out a volunteer registration form

• To reach Cambo Estates, take the 95 Bus from St Andrews to Lodge, the journey takes around 30 minutes

Graduate Attributes

• Environmental sustainability

• Effective Team contribution

• Oral Communication

• Ethical Awareness

• Creativity

• Confidence and adaptability

• Commercial and business awareness

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Craigtoun Country Park

Who They Are:

Craigtoun Country Park is a park located just outside the center of St Andrew’s and is open all year round with free entry and parking and spans 47 acres. They have childrens’ rides, playgrounds, activities such asmini golf and go-karting as well as a Park Golf Course or, you can just go for a walk in the park andspend some time in nature. It truly caters for everyone’s needs. The park is a historical site and belongs toFife Council. Therefore, relying on the local community for its upkeep and maintenance. Our main focus as SVS volunteers will be on helping with the gardens which provide both educational and recreational purposes for the community. There are different areas of the park containing unique gardens full of beautiful flowers and fauna, all requiring maintenance. These gardens include the Walled Garden, which dates back to the 18th century, and the Tranquility Garden designed to specifically attract butterflies and bees and offer a quiet seating area away from the busyness of the park.

Volunteers Role:

Craigtoun are very excited to have student volunteers involved in the upkeep of the park. They have awide variety of work that volunteers can get involved with, depending on their time commitments and interests. These include building and painting fences, gardening, landscaping and other general maintenance. There is no minimum time commitment from volunteers and the task as well as the hours will be arranged to the volunteer’s preference and availability with the Park Volunteer Coordinator once volunteering begins. Volunteers will be given a safety brief, park orientation and discuss any administrative points on their first day volunteering to ensure everything runs smoothly!

Logistics:

• There is no application form or criteria for volunteers.

• They are happy with whatever people are willing to give.

• Has the potential to continue into summer (all year round) if volunteers would like to

• 10 minute drive from the bus station (hour walk)

Graduate Attributes:

• Environmental Sustainability

• Effective Team Contribution

• Confidence and Adaptability

• Oral Communication

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Fife Coast and Countryside Trust Tree Warden

Who They Are:

The Fife Tree Wardens is a scheme funded by the Fife Council and the Community Woodlands Association and is supported by Fife Coast and Countryside Trust and Climate Action Fife. The project aims to increase the tree cover in Fife, with the ultimate goal of having six trees for each person living in Fife. Their goals are to sustainably plant more trees while inspiring other people to care for and protect the trees in their communities. Trees have many benefits, one of the key benefits being their positive impact in the fight against climate change, which is why they need to be protected. So if this is something you’d like to get involved in - they’d love to have you onboard!

Volunteers Role:

If you have a love for trees and some time to spare, this is the perfect opportunity for you! As a tree warden, you will be able to plant, care for and safeguard the trees in our community. Other roles include managing local woods and removing invasive species, surveying the trees in your area, leading guided tree walks and collecting seeds from local trees for future tree planting.Depending on your interests, you will be offered various training through the Fife Tree Warden Scheme. All that is required from you is a passion for trees/the outdoors, a willingness to learn and 1-2 hours a month for volunteering! This is a great opportunity to meet some new people and spend some time outside!

Logistics:

• Time commitment of 1-2 hours a month

• Can continue through summer if the volunteer would like to

• Volunteers will be required to watch an induction video and then complete an application form for Fife Coast and Countryside Trust volunteers

Graduate Attributes:

• Environmental Sustainability

• Local and global good citizenship

• Effective team contribution

• Networking

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Guide Dogs for the Blind St Andrews

Who They Are:

Guide Dogs is a charity that works to support people of all ages living with vision impairment. The charity is funded almost only on donations and is the only UK charity to breed and train guide dogs. They also employ specialists to help children overcome difficulties faced by loss of sight as well as carry out research to better understand the needs of those they support and improve the care of their dogs. Guide dogs offers in-person services as well as online and telephonic services to provide support to anyone who needs it.

Volunteers Role:

Guide Dogs St Andrew’s carry out fundraising events throughout the year these can be anything fromCoffee mornings, store collections, and events held annually like St Andrews Harbour Gala, Highland Games, Big Hoolie etc. They also take our pups in training to University Halls Union etc throughout the town which allows them to raise awareness for the work our charity carries out and also allow the public & students to meet all their dogs and to many other charity & church groups. These are also great training experiences for our pups. The problem with these visits are most are midweek especially Schools and Nurseries and that’s when a lot of their own volunteers are working so they can only take one puppy along when the size and numbers attending could mean they could take along two or three dogs. Having more volunteers would allow them to take additional pups - as Guide Dogs they are very well trained so as long as the student was happy with dogs it is a very enjoyable hour or so.

Logistics:

• No specific time commitment required

• Events are often in St Andrew’s so easily accessible

• Can continue through summer if the volunteer would like to

• Volunteers must complete an online application and then once successful, complete an online training. They then receive a ID card and lanyard and a guide dog polo shirt to wear at events.

• No PVG required

Graduate Attributes:

• Oral Communication

• Resilience

• Diversity Awareness

• Interpersonal Skills

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Green Shores Saltmarsh Restoration Project

Who They Are:

The Green Shores project is Scotland’s longest-running coastal habitat restoration project, with over 25 years of saltmarsh restoration and research. The project plants propagates, carries out research and monitoring work, and installs storm fencing to protect newly established marshes in the early stages.In the 2025 planting season, volunteers helped plant 4,000 polytunnel-grown saltmarsh plants used to help restore salt marshes along the Tay and Eden Estuaries and in Dornoch Firth. Run by Dr. Helena Simmons, the hub of the project is in a polytunnel on the Eden Course adjacent to the Eden Estuary.

Volunteer’s Role:

The Green Shores project is happy to accept volunteers enthusiastic about coastal conservation and ecology, or anyone willing to lend a hand! Volunteers have a wide range of roles, from planting in the salt marsh to polytunnel maintenance to propagating plants! The project hosts volunteer days every Wednesday, but there is no minimum commitment, so come when you’re able. If interested, students can be added to the volunteer mailing list, where further details and times will be communicated. Once a student signs up to volunteer, they will be given a briefing and a tour during their first volunteer session.

Logistics:

• There is no application form for volunteers

• The project runs year-round, but there are more volunteer sessions during the planting season(spring)

• The project hub is on the Eden Course in a polytunnel and is accessible on foot, by bike, or by the 99 Bus.

Graduate Attributes

• Environmental sustainability

• Effective Team contribution

• Networking

• Oral Communication

• Technical and specialist skills and disciplinary knowledge

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St Andrews Environmental Network (StAndEN)

Who They Are:

St Andrews Environment Network is a charity aiming to reduce CO2 emissions and promote sustainable living within the community. Their two main projects are a community garden and the EcoHub.The community garden was previously a neglected space that has been transformed into a community event space, a fully accessible garden, and rewilding area. In the following years, StAndEN aims to begin generating their own compost, installing raised beds - ensuring that there are areas which are accessible for people of all abilities - and creating areas to encourage wildlife and pollinators.The Eco Hub has a zero-waste and refill shop, art exhibitions, a StAnd ReUse drop-off point, and people to go to for advice concerning sustainability and the environment

Volunteer’s Role:

In the community garden, volunteers can come along and help with whatever tasks need to be done that day - including watering, sowing, weeding, harvesting, and other handy tasks. Volunteer sessions for the Community Garden are every Thursday 1:00 – 2:30, and volunteers can come for any amount of time.At the Eco Hub, volunteers take on an office-based role. There are many different options for what exactly you want to get involved with - help us serve customers at the Refill Shop, create social media content, or help the team run the Reuse project. Volunteers can come any time that’s convenient for them, but 4 hours a week is suggested as a time commitment. However, StAndEN is very flexible.

Logistics:

• StAndEn is accessible by foot, cycle, or bus – they are located on Kinnessburn Road

• There is no application form- There is no limit to the number of volunteers

• This project does not run over the summer

Graduate Attributes

• Environmental sustainability

• Effective Team contribution

• Confidence and Adaptability

• Interpersonal skills

• Diversity awareness