Gaining practical planning experience in South Yorkshire

As a planning volunteer at CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire, Poppy Williamson is often watching out for key plans that threaten the countryside in her county. Find out how she began volunteering with CPRE and the benefits she’s already started to experience since getting involved.

Watching out for major developments

From a young age, Poppy has developed a close connection with nature and the countryside. ‘I’ve always been into hiking and when I was younger my family were very big on going out and seeing nature,’ she tells us. As a child, she was fascinated by the natural world, but it was only when she began studying her geography degree that she came to realise the extent and scale of environmental issues. ‘I didn’t realise how important it was to protect the environment at the time,’ she says.

Indeed, it was while Poppy was studying for her undergraduate degree when planning came up. ‘I realised I was really interested in it,’ she says. She decided to pursue this interest and studied a Masters in Urban Planning at Sheffield Hallam University. ‘I wanted to gain some experience, but I didn’t really know where to look,’ she tells us. In one of her lectures, CPRE was highlighted as a charity taking action on countryside planning issues – this caught Poppy’s attention. ‘I thought I’d have a look, as my lecturer said there was a CPRE in each county.’ She later visited the CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire website and applied to join the team as a planning volunteer.

In her role, Poppy keeps an eye out for plans and major developments that present worrying environmental risks. ‘I currently monitor the weekly planning lists in South Yorkshire – my primary focus is on Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham,’ she says. She then shares and discusses these high-risk plans with her supervisor: ‘If anything comes up, we look into the consultations and site visits for each application.’

Developing valuable skills and experience for the future

Poppy is now several months into her planning volunteer role and really enjoys working alongside her team at CPRE PDSY, commenting ‘it’s a really nice experience and atmosphere to be part of, with everyone having similar interests and passions’.

‘Volunteering has taught me so much. I’ve gained far more knowledge and experience than I thought I would,’ she reflects.

In terms of her career, Poppy feels that it has been invaluable to combine theory and practice through her volunteer role: ‘Learning the role of the countryside charity in planning has also been really beneficial, and the planners networking meetings are helpful, because people come together and learn from one another.’

Despite being a full-time student, Poppy has taken the workload in her stride: ‘I one hundred percent find it easy to balance volunteering alongside my other commitments. I only volunteer one day a week’, she says. ‘It’s so relaxing and everyone’s really welcoming. When you have exams going on, there’s no pressure and they’re respectful and happy that you can help when you can.’ Overall, Poppy feels that volunteering with CPRE is a great opportunity for young people: ‘It’s really good to gain the experience –  it’s a nice place and a nice charity.’

Find out more

If you think you’d like to volunteer for CPRE like Poppy and stand with the countryside, take a look at our volunteering pages and current opportunities, or get in touch with us at volunteeringteam@cpre.org.uk. You can find out more about CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire here.