IT is 40 years since Bolton Conservation Volunteers first set up their organisation.

Now they are hoping to find former volunteers to take part in a birthday celebration.

The group has been in existence since 1976 and will be celebrating the special anniversary on Saturday May 21 at Silverwell Hall in Institute Street, Bolton.

Bolton Conservation Volunteers (BCV) is a self-funding not-for-profit organisation based in Bolton and was established in May 1976 by a group of Bolton residents wanting to care for and maintain Bolton's natural habitats and wildlife.

BCV has since grown to be one of the oldest and most respected independent conservation groups in the country.

Their work regularly takes them across Lancashire, Salford and Manchester with organisations such as Salford Ranger Service, Bolton Council Woodland Section, the Amphibian and Reptile Group of South Lancashire, and United Utilities.

They also provide practical assistance and advice to residents groups, schools and landowners wanting to help wildlife in their local environments.

For the last 27 years BCV has been led by Rick Parker. Rick has worked in conservation for many years and as well as being an authority on ponds, newts and dragonflies he is also an accredited member on the National Hedge Laying Society.

In 2008 Rick won the Bolton News Green Heroes Award for 'Greenest Individual' thanks to his many years of dedicated conservation work. In September 2015 Rick was awarded the Points of Light Award by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, for outstanding volunteering work.

Other group group members also have an extensive collective knowledge of wildlife and environmental issues.

In 2007 Bolton Conservation Volunteers won the Bolton News Green Heroes Award for "Greenest Community Group" and in recent years they have been nominated for the Queen's Award for Volunteering.

Their work has resulted in many success stories including common tern being bred for the first time at Rumworth Lodge and Bleackleach Reservoir, Salford.

They pioneered the use of new and innovative methods for planting reedbeds — reedbeds planted at Doffcocker Lodge and Blackleach are now home to reed warbler and reed bunting and they have created more than 250 new ponds and devised a now widely used technique for counting newt populations.

They hold an annual hedge laying competition in memory of Dr John Leather a Bolton GP who championed hedge laying in Bolton and inspired many people to take up this traditional countryside skill.

In addition to their practical conservation work there is also a walking group, BCV Rambles, which meets every two months for walks around some of the North West's beauty spots.

The 40th birthday party, which starts at 7.30pm, is open to anyone who has been involved with the group over the last 40 years.

It is an important milestone in the group's history.

There will be people out there who no longer help the group practically, perhaps through age or ill health, but they can go along and meet up with current members and perhaps catch up with some of the former members they used to volunteer with.

For more information contact Chris Banks on 07541 980 480 or email boltonconservationvolunteers@gmail.com