Guernsey conservation group receive Royal recognition

Tuesday, 14 April 2026 19:00

Guernsey Conservation Volunteers at Port Soif

The Guernsey Conservation Volunteers celebrate both a King's Award and their 30th anniversary.

Members of The Guernsey Conservation Volunteers (GCV) gathered at Government House last night (14 April) to receive their King's Award for Voluntary Service.

Members meet regularly to clear invasive species like the sour fig from public places.

The plant is thought to have been introduced by the Germans at L'Eree as bunker camouflage.

Angela Salmon is the Operations Director for the charity and says when they first began, in 2008, some passers-by thought they were vandals:

"There were quite a few complaints as people thought we were just wrecking the natural environment, and how dare we!

"Now, if we are pulling it up, generally people passing may well comment, 'Well done, you're doing a great job.'"

The GCV has also targeted stinking onions, the bulbs that flower in early spring, that threatened to overwhelm native flowers in the Bluebell Wood and parts of the coast.

Conservation

Angela says last night's award was also a celebration of 30 years of the charity:

"There has always been a core of people who wanted to look after the environment and do their best for it, and what GCV has done is raise awareness of invasive species."

Angela began her career as a schoolteacher but now works for two charities full-time. She says her experience of education has been invaluable:

"I still go into schools and educate specifically on the natural environment and looking after it, so hopefully they will grow up to care about the natural environment."