Last week we chatted with the RSPB Dorset Reserves Warden, Hollymay Gladwin. Hollymay has been volunteering and working in conservation since they were just a teenager and has over 10 years of experience in habitat management on the Arne peninsular.
Above image (Annie Parsons): Ed (Assistant Warden), Will (Assistant Warden) and Hollymay (Warden)
How did you get into conservation?
Nature has always been a huge feature in Hollymay’s life. They describe how their father, who was a tree surgeon, was a particularly important figure in inspiring their love of the natural world. “I’ve always wanted to work to protect nature.”
Hollymay initially started volunteering with Dorset Wildlife Trust on Brownsea Island. They absolutely fell in love with it from the moment they started. “Even on the wet, miserable days, of which there’ve been many!”
It was there that Hollymay met a volunteer who also volunteered at RSPB Arne. They suggested Hollymay get involved with deer count surveys, which they could do in the school holidays. Soon after, Hollymay became a volunteer with what was then called the Estates Team at Arne. It’s been a long journey with the RSPB since then.
Why did you decide to turn conservation into a career?
After studying Conservation Biology and Ecology at university, Hollymay toyed briefly with the idea of being a researcher, but found that the lack of time outside wasn’t their cup of tea. “I really missed working out in nature and actually doing the habitat management.”
After university, Hollymay dived back into long-term volunteering with the Arne Warden Team. Initially, Hollymay worked three days a week in the Arne café and volunteered three days a week with the warden team. “I had some amazing mentors at Arne who helped me to build my skills and confidence. I think that’s what we’re really great at here, that one-to-one support. It really showed me that it’s what I want to do.”
Hollymay is now the Warden for RSPB Dorset, managing two Assistant Wardens, several volunteer interns, and a large wider network of volunteers to protect eight nature reserves across the county.
What advice would you give young people who are interested in conservation?
“I would just say give it a go! Volunteer somewhere, find a good volunteer team and get stuck in. Don’t quit if it’s what you want. Some things really won’t come easy but don’t give up.”
Hollymay’s message is clear – there’s a place for everyone in conservation. Hollymay describes how they often see people new to the field achieve things they never thought were possible. “I had never really thought about being an inspiring figure. It’s only when young women tell me things like, ‘Oh, I’m so surprised there’s so many women on the team,’ that I realise I could be an example for people who might not think this could be a job for them.”
Do you have any favourite moments?
“I have so many good memories just being out with the team. One of my favourites was when I was an Assistant Warden working with the team at Weymouth. It was one of the wettest winters for years. September came, it started raining, and it didn’t stop until March. It was a freezing cold February and we had loads of hard-going work to do. We stood to have lunch, and all of a sudden it started hailing. We were all hiding under this one leafless hawthorn and one of the volunteer’s lunchboxes started to fill with hailstones. We all just burst out laughing. I’ll never forget that moment because it was actually a really painful, miserable day, we were all on the verge of quitting, and then that one moment where he had more ice than salad in his lunchbox was so funny. We all went back to work with a smile on our faces.”
The sense of camaraderie and mutual support amongst the team, volunteers and staff alike, is really clear.
Working with volunteers is a highlight for Hollymay. Volunteers are essential to the work that the team does. With only five full time staff members in the Warden Team and eight nature reserves across Dorset, the RSPB really relies on the hard work of volunteer teams. “They really inspire me, to be honest!”
Hollymay driving a tractor (Hollymay Gladwin)
Do you feel a sense of pride seeing the impact of your work?
“Definitely across the team there is a sense of pride. When you see one of the key species we are trying to protect – like a Dartford Warbler on top of a gorse bush. That reminds us why we do it.”
“A lot of the time when people go out and see these amazing species, they don’t even know we’ve been there, that we’ve intervened in the habitat. Sometimes we feel like a kind of unseen force. Heathland habitats and humans have evolved together. We do actually need each other. Heathland has always been a managed habitat, it can’t exist without us.”
The amazing work that the Warden Team have done at RSPB Arne and across Dorset is reflected in our species recovery success stories. With record numbers of once scarce Dartford Warblers and Nightjars, reptiles returning to newly restored Hyde’s Heath, and countless other rare species thriving on our reserves, this small team continue to have a huge impact.
If you’re interested in volunteering at RSPB Arne or your local RSPB reserve, there are always roles coming up across the organisation. Follow this link to find current opportunities.