Volunteers at RSPB Bempton Cliffs come from across the region. But the most recent hails from a little further afield - Bad Salzuflen in North West Germany, one of nearby Bridlington’s twin towns.
Jan-Philip Mortgenstern first visited the cliff tops as a child in 2006 during a visit to Bridlington Priory with his home town’s choir. His family formed a strong bond with a local family and have stayed in touch ever since. So when he was looking for a volunteering opportunity to broaden his experience and brush up on his language skills, the nature reserve that he’d come to as a boy was an obvious choice.
‘I wanted to improve my English by talking to real English speakers not teachers’, said Jan-Philip. ‘It’s more of a challenge but more real’.
The team on the cliff tops were happy to help out, buddying him up with volunteers who could show him the ropes and introduce him to life as a viewpoint guide. And it was in this outdoor classroom that he learnt a lot of new English words by chatting with them and visitors too. In return, he taught them the correct pronunciation of the German for puffin - papageitaucher.
Discovering more about the award-winning nature reserve and its wildlife has really fired Jan- Philip’s interest in nature:
‘There were so many special moments: watching the kestrel hovering over the cliffs or the barn owl swooping over the beautiful landscapes, was amazing. But the thing that stuck me most was seeing dolphins and porpoises for the first time just a few metres away from me.’
Viewpoint Volunteer, John Bairstow, spent a lot of time with Jan-Philip:
‘It’s always a joy to share knowledge about a place you love and Jan-Philip was a quick learner – he was soon able to help visitors identify the different species of seabirds. I hope his stay has helped improve his English. I’m not sure he was with us long enough to pick up a Yorkshire accent but if he has, that’s got to be a bonus!’.