A private nature reserve you can glamp in is now offering volunteer days for amateur naturalists.

Orchid Meadows in Tregaron has been transformed in the last five years from an unloved small holding, to a reserve and glamping site thanks to the patient work of couple Steve Hounsham and Lynn Thornborrow.

The 25 acres now boasts a re-established woodland and wetland, budding wildflower meadows and a nature pond, along with three glamping options and a vegetable garden at the top of the site.

Their growing number of visitors has also brought growing interest in how they do what they do, inspiring the pair to launch volunteering and experience days.

Co-owner Stephen Hounsham said: “Offering volunteering, learning and skill-gain experiences is our way of spreading the rewilding and self-sufficiency ethos to those who perhaps don’t have the opportunity at home to find out about these things in a practical way.

“And the stays are not all work – there’s plenty of time for rest and play too.”

The pair now offer free accommodation and a shared lunch in exchange for voluntary work in the mornings, in things including woodland management and tree care, firewood processing, boardwalk improvement to make boggy wetland more accessible, how to create living willow structures including huts and gateways, how to erect a Mongolian-style yurt, and outdoor sculpture.

They also offer food-based in their vegetable garden, learning about organic no-dig food production in their polytunnel and raised beds, where they will share wisdom on seed saving, compost making and soil health.

The days are available across February-April.

To sign up to become an ‘honorary citizen’, which entitles you to discounts and access to volunteer days, sign up here - https://www.orchidmeadows.co.uk/sign-up-for-news

Or get in touch via email - [email protected]