Livestock Lookerer with City Parks

Sheep, cattle and ponies graze a number of important conservation and ancient chalk downland areas within the city of Brighton and Hove. 
Grazing is beneficial because it:
- allows insects to move away as the grass and plants are grazed slowly over several weeks, and it ensures that structures like ant hills are not damaged.
- removes different plants at different rates, unlike mowing where everything is removed at once. Sheep find some plants tastier than others!
- ensures aggressive weeds such as nettles and brambles don't take over.
- helps to keep open spaces for open for recreation, exercise and wildlife.

We're recruiting volunteers, known as Lookerers, who help keep an eye on the welfare of our livestock.

Most of our grazing sites are small areas of historic downland on the urban fringe. Due to higher level of interaction with the public our animals have been compared to those on a conventional rural farm, we need to make more regular checks. If the Grazier had to make all of these checks it would take up a large amount of time and make grazing many small sites impractical even though they can act as important hotspots for wildlife. This is why we need your help!

Skills

No experience necessary but you'll need to attend our one-day training course before you head out to site. We'll teach you everything you need to know and give you some helpful handouts for future reference.

Benefits

The chance to get involved in a local initiative and give something back to the community.

An opportunity to gain new practical skills and learn more about wildlife and conservation.

A chance to learn more about the cultural history of downland grazing and explore new parts of the city.

Practical Considerations

Some of our grazing sites are quite steep. You'll need to be able to get about on the site(s) you'd like to be a lookerer for. You can talk to our Rangers at the training course if you have any questions about any of the sites you're less familiar with.

We ask that all our lookerers have a mobile phone, so you can receive any updates on the livestock, text in your report and contact us in case of emergency.

When do I need to be available?

	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Register your Interest