Today we hear from Terry Smith about his volunteering role at RSPB Arne, which involves project managing large events. Volunteers come from all walks of life and often bring their particular skills into their role. Terry has lived in Dorset most of his life and worked in project management and system building for over 30 years. He started volunteering with the RSPB three years ago.
What brought you to volunteering at RSPB Arne?
At the height of the pandemic in 2020 I was furloughed followed by redundancy. This was a stressful and difficult time as I had no plan to retire and suddenly found myself with time on my hands and nothing to fill it.
I have always been interested in the natural world and my pastimes of long-distance walking and kayaking give the opportunity to find remote places off the beaten track in and off the coast of our beautiful county.
I came across a Facebook post from Bev who ran the Purbeck Partnership asking for volunteers. Initially this was based on Hydes Heath removing pine trees, but quicky grew into field surveys and countryside skills all of which I found fascinating and deeply rewarding.
When the opportunity came to volunteer for RSPB Arne, I immediately found the staff and volunteers so friendly, supportive, and welcoming. In those early days wildlife identification was a steep learning curve. Everyone at Arne was so helpful and encouraging, providing me with an incredible wealth of information and knowledge. I have much more to learn but that’s the beauty of such a fascinating subject.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering?
I really enjoy guiding the Introduction to Arne walks, explaining to visitors why the habitats of Arne are so rare and important. I find this very rewarding especially the often-emotional moment if they spot a bird species for the first time.
I have always believed that a big part of my volunteering at Arne is offering my experience to the management team. Volunteers play a huge part in the successful operation of the reserve and drawing on our work and life experiences from such a diverse range of backgrounds is an enormously valuable resource.
In my case, I have been assisting with the project management of events and working to enhance the Quality Assurance system for all of Dorset’s reserves as well as systems for the Café and Events team. I find the opportunity to make difference extremely satisfying.
I always look forward to my volunteering days at Arne. A fabulous part of the world looked after by the nicest and most dedicated people.
Terry in the all-terrain vehicle (Paula Kerr)
Thank you to Terry and to all the Dorset volunteers who dedicate their time and expertise to the RSPB. If you’d like to explore volunteering opportunities at RSPB Arne or your local RSPB reserve, follow this link: https://volunteer.rspb.org.uk/opportunities