Hello Volunteers – you have now clocked up over 10,000 hits on the ashridgevolunteers.blog – a milestone achievement.

The last twelve months has seen the publication of over seventy articles, far fewer than in the previous year, but viewed more widely. The articles have been given a more detailed content, and have included a wider spectrum with topics of national importance allowing followers to be more aware of environmental issues, as with the plastic problem. The Blog is not judgemental and aims to highlight the achievements of the volunteers as and when they are newsworthy – volunteering is a continuous process.

The viewing figures on the articles give an insight into the most popular subjects. The most viewed article has been the report on the Plant Fair with one hundred and sixty six hits (166), followed by the Volunteers Party (91). The achievements of Bob Davis – Walk Bob Forester’s Way was well received (85), and the piece by Barbara Matthewson – Life after Death – on the Harry Potter beech was highly rated (73). Reports on the Belted Galloway cattle, and the deer cull came in at (68) and (69), and Snakes Alive slithered in at (65). Articles on bees, butterflies and birds were disappointingly low around the twenty mark, with the Wild Flower Walk propping up the list with just three visits. Overall the average readership figure amounts to forty four views per article.

Last year YouTube announced that they would no longer allow creators to make money from advertisements on their videos until they had reached a viewing figure of 10,000! Having reached a similar position with the Blog, you can rest assured that we will not be looking for any income from the introduction of any form of commercial advertising. Our time and costs are considered as part of the volunteering ethos.

Best regards