David Rodway - volunteer photographer

The Woodland Trust Volunteer Awards 
David Rodway, Acorn Award 

>> David Rodway:
So, I'm a volunteer photographer going around various sites in the North of England. We're at Low Burnhall now, just outside Durham. It's a lovely wood, with 94,250 trees in it. I've been photographing this wood now for about eight years. I've been volunteering since 2007, which is 11 years, and my first assignment was Hackfall and I spent three years photographing Hackfall. 

As a photographer, I love taking photographs. I've been taking photographs ever since I retired, really. Two of my pictures have been in the Woodland Trust calendar, both of Hackfall. One of them that I took here at Low Burnhall has appeared in the Broadleaf magazine, for the north-east edition, on the front cover of that, which I was very highly honoured with. I was most flattered because it was totally out of the blue. 

The best thing about volunteering is getting out, meeting people. I think getting out in the woods is absolutely excellent. It enables me to get some exercise and seeing all what nature’s bringing: the new growth on the trees, the wildlife. In fact, in this Low Burnhall wood, I’ve seen a deer, which is very unusual. 

>> Rachel Lee, media library manager:
I nominated David for Volunteer of the Year because he's a real inspiration for me. He's always the first volunteer photographer to come straight back to me when we've had a request and this is astonishing when you consider his mobility challenges that he faces. If he can’t do the job with one walking stick, he takes two walking sticks. If that’s not enough he asks his wife to accompany him. David has a real can-do attitude. If there's a wood that he's no longer able to walk because it's too steep, he just picks another brief. He just finds what it is that he can do. 

We've used David's photographs all over the Trust: in Woodland Trust calendars for sale; he's photographed woods under threats for the campaigning team for us; his photographs have appeared in PR; on our website; in social media. 

Thank you David for all your help and support.