Congratulations to the CJS team and partners on a very special anniversary



If, like me, you were searching for conservation or countryside management opportunities in the late 1990s then you might well recall waiting for the postman to deliver your printed Countryside Jobs Service weekly update!  Over the past 25 years I have worked as a National Park ranger, focussed on public access and recreation, managed countryside projects in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, delivered cultural tourism and visitor diversification initiatives, and worked in a variety of skills development roles.  Reflecting on that career today, I realise just how many times I have engaged with CJS, either directly and personally, or by highlighting the importance of the team, its work and resources to potential students, volunteers, new entrants, career changers and those looking to develop new skills and progress.

Things have moved on - conservation is becoming more integrated into sound and sustainable land management, different interest groups value collaboration more than they once did, we’ve become more professional, we communicate and do business (and search for job opportunities!) online – but the core values that have made CJS such a successful and valued countryside management partner remain.  As many of us working in countryside management know, it’s people and effective collaboration that make the real difference.  The CJS team remains as committed, approachable and engaging as ever; the business values and principles continue to reflect what many of us work to achieve; and many, many people beyond the lovely village of Goathland in North Yorkshire feel part of a wider ‘family’ of countryside managers and conservationists due, in no small part, to the work of CJS over the last 25 years - the contacts, colleagues, networks, knowledge, skills and friends that have developed over that time highlight how fantastic it is to volunteer and work in conservation and countryside management.

I would like to say a big “thank you” to the CJS team, congratulate them on a fantastic 25 years in business, and acknowledge the commitment and support from many partners and supporters throughout that time - long may it continue - and “here’s to the next 25!”.

Kevin Patrick
Rural Skills Development Manager (Scotland), Lantra

View all the birthday wishes here: https://c-js.co.uk/CJS25years