A new nature youth group offering young Salfordians outdoors education will launch in the new year.
Salford Ranger Team is forming a new youth volunteer group, the Salford Young Rangers, for young people aged 12-18.
The group aims to educate young people on the outdoors and inspire future conservationists.
Lloyd Ross, 29, from the Salford Rangers Team, said: “We’re really good at engaging with adult volunteers, and we are also good at providing activities for children.
“That age group, roughly 12-18, we miss a little bit, and I think generally across the countryside sector people struggle to engage with them.”
The group is set to begin sessions in January 2026, with plans to gather fortnightly at Blackleach Country Park, Walkden.
Each session will last around three hours and will cover a different activity related to wildlife and the outdoors.
Some of these activities include pond restoration, tree planting, bird and bat surveys, and learning how to use traditional outdoor tools.
Lloyd will be running the sessions, but the Young Rangers will have responsibilities of their own.
“It will be a mixture of teaching new skills and building teamwork and communication skills,” he said.
“In the group we will be treating the young people more like adults. We’ll be teaching them how to use tools that maybe you wouldn’t use with a younger group, and give them some ownership over the green spaces.”
Young people do not typically consider the outdoor sector as a career path, and Lloyd wants to use his position to inform them of the opportunities and progression a career in the outdoors can hold.
He said: “I had no practical skills when I was 14, I knew I enjoyed walking and being outside, but I didn’t know anything else.
“People were patient with me and changed my curiosity I had for the outdoors to a genuine interest and as a result it led me to a job I never would have thought of.
“…[if] we can identify the conservationists of the future, the outcome is brilliant.”
The Rangers are also looking for adult volunteers.
This can be anybody over the age of 18 who has an interest in taking on a leadership role within the Salford Young Rangers, and prior experience with wildlife and the outdoors is not necessary.
Lloyd said: “If you’ve got any interest, even a slight interest, come down. Even if you just do one session as a taster to see if it’s for you.
“It’s going to be a really relaxed, friendly environment and there’ll be no pressure – it’s just about enjoying being outside.”
To sign up for the Salford Young Rangers, email rangers@salford.gov.uk.
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