‘As soon as I walked in to my first meeting, I immediately thought that this was something that needed to be shared with a wider audience. The group holds some fascinating talks and walks and I knew a lot more people would be interested in attending if they knew what was happening.’
Sarah took on responsibility for creating and updating social media pages on Facebook and Twitter for the Norwich local group. She also creates posters to advertise upcoming talks to try and attract as diverse an audience as possible.
‘I knew quite a lot about social media before I joined the committee and have been supported in my role by the Eastern England regional office,’ explains Sarah. ‘It's always exciting when a new face walks through the door at one of our meetings because they've seen one of our posters or visited our Facebook page. It's good to know that, however small, my role is having an impact on the numbers attending our meetings and, hopefully, the numbers joining the group.’
Sarah knows a thing or two about communicating with new audiences, for as well as her role at the RSPB group, she also writes a regular blog, A Wild Life in Norfolk. Reporting and reflecting on nature sightings in her local area, Sarah’s blog has been so successful that she was awarded the BBC’s prestigious Wildlife Blogger Award in 2015. ‘It was a great honour to win such a prize for doing something I love,’ she smiles.
Sarah spends one to two hours a week in her RSPB social media role and is also a physics teacher at a secondary school. ‘That’s one of the reasons I do this role. I feel a responsibility to get younger people involved in conservation and volunteering.
‘My advice to anyone considering getting involved is to do it. Local groups desperately need a wide range of people to take on roles likes fundraiser, treasurer and communications. If you’ve got a skill to offer, you shouldn’t be scared to speak to people. It’s only one or two hours a week. My group is very friendly and welcoming and they make my contribution feel worthwhile.’
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