If you're reading this, I'm assuming that you love nature; well, at least that you're interested and enjoy it, whether it's watching from your kitchen window or out on a nature reserve. But can you remember what sparked that interest? Most of us, especially if we got the 'bug' when we were young, had the interest sparked by someone. Someone who simply enjoyed pointing it out, and sharing their knowledge. But we remember that someone.
In my case, it was my Grandpa. He wouldn't have claimed to be a birder, but he enjoyed the sounds of the saltmarsh when he took his dog for a walk along the Dee Estuary - the alarm call of the redshanks, the "one-two-three, testing" song of the reed bunting, the distant flocks of teal. And when I was six, seven, eight years old and staying with my grandparents in the school holidays, I would go along with him, and that's what got me started.
That I stayed with it, and am still learning, is thanks to a second person, Denis Pithon, who volunteered as an RSPB youth leader (in the days of the Young Ornithologists' Club), and set up a group for nature-minded youngsters when I was about 11 years old. I was very lucky. My life, immersed in nature, is thanks to formative experiences with these two people who took time to share their enthusiasm for wildlife.
And that's why I am passionate about giving people the opportunity to explore and discover wildlife. From the nature reserve's inception, since the day we opened the car park gates 21 years ago, RSPB Conwy has been about enabling visitors to have that connection, whether children visiting with their school, or families coming to enjoy their leisure time.
Our volunteers do an amazing job. They give up their time to help us manage the reserve, meet visitors, run the shop, support our learning and events programmes, and show people wildlife, mostly from the viewing hides. We really couldn't do what we do without them.
Of course, lots of the wildlife here isn't seen from the hides. Especially in Spring and Summer, it's the littler things that can make you go 'wow': an ant's nest, damselflies on the pond, a field of orchids. We've long had an ambition to help visitors discover these little beauties: "Pop-up" guides who focus attention on a different nature feature each weekend or school holiday.
We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is helping us to bring our natural heritage to life. Over the next two years, HLF money will help us add new interpretation to the reserve (more on that another time), and more importantly, enabling us to recruit and train a new tranche of volunteers who want to share their love for and knowledge of wildlife.
Of course, volunteers do what they do not just because they want to help a cause they love, but because they get great personal satisfaction from the time they spend volunteering. Over recent weeks, it has been wonderful to see BBC Springwatch showcase some of these heroes and encourage us all to #DoSomethingGreat.
We have created a new role at Conwy, called a Wild About Nature Volunteer. We are now recruiting for this role, and would love to hear from people who can give us three to six hours each week. If you're the sort of person who has the confidence to strike up conversations with visitors, has some knowledge about wildlife, but most important of all, a friendly enthusiastic approach, we'd love to hear from you. All the details are on our website.
There really is nothing better than seeing a child's eyes light up as they discover how incredible nature is; or a regular visitor be surprised when you point out something that they'd never noticed before. Who knows, you might be sparking an interest that will last a lifetime, and perhaps in 40 years, they will fondly recall the day at Conwy when nature lit up their life.
Julian HughesSite Manager, Conwy