I've been in a reflective mood this week. Coming back to the reserve after a couple of weeks' holiday is always good; I feel refreshed, Spring has clearly moved into Summer; and it was great to hear about some positive things that had happened while I'd been away (more news on those to come).
Yesterday it was 25 years since I started working for The RSPB. I remember vividly the excitement I felt about starting to work for the charity that had been a bedrock to my childhood membership of the Young Ornithologists' Club (now Wildlife Explorers) since I was six years old. I drove to The Lodge - the RSPB's headquarters - in my first car, through the lanes of Bedfordshire with the aroma of late hawthorn blossom exploding from the hedgerows. Two days out of University, of course I knew nothing really, but I felt on top of the world.
Yesterday I drove in through the gates at Conwy, a song thrush sang by the car park and a few house martins twittered overhead, collecting mud from the estuary to build their nests under the eaves of homes in Llandudno Junction. I still feel on top of the world, excited by the day ahead when I come through the gates. And I never cease to be staggered by the amazing things that The RSPB achieves when staff, volunteers and supporters work together. I feel very, very fortunate to have done some memorable things with The RSPB, and I hope I've made a difference or two along the way.
But this blog is really about volunteering, because this is Volunteers' Week, an opportunity to celebrate the huge contribution made to society by millions of people who do things not for the salary or the recognition, but to support a cause. I've been a RSPB volunteer since I was 14 years old; I really hadn't done it as a pathway to a job or career, but the experience proved invaluable when a job opportunity came my way. Ask almost anyone who works in nature conservation, and you'll be talking to someone who started as a volunteer, and probably still is one. It's in the DNA of the RSPB and similar nature organisations, and long may it remain so.
79 people volunteer at Conwy nature reserve, most of whom are here every week. When were you last at Conwy? I pretty much guarantee that you spoke to at least one volunteer, and you probably saw several more. We all wear the same blue polo-shirts, we all promote efforts to give nature a home; aside from the words on a name badge, you wouldn't know whether the person inspiring your children about pondlife or advising you on which bird food to buy is paid or not. Last year, volunteers donated 10,890 hours of their time at Conwy; volunteers increase the capacity of paid staff here by 100%. But the contribution is so much more than we can describe in numbers. Volunteers bring a raft of different experiences to their roles, from their own workplaces; they bring valuable contacts from their social circle or careers; they bring their own personalities to what we do.
On Tuesday evening, we chartered a boat to take us - staff and volunteers from Conwy and South Stack - around Puffin Island. The sea was calm, the air was warm, and we enjoyed watching the eiders, black guillemots, gulls and seals around the island. And, of course, the puffins. We'd had a great time, and as we headed back to Beaumaris Pier, I looked down the boat and saw these several dozen smiling people, chatting away, having become good friends through their RSPB volunteering. I'm really proud of the work they do, the commitment they make, the skills they bring to make our nature reserve even better for wildlife and people.
I certainly never for a moment regret the day that I completed a volunteer sign-up form, because it has led to so many great experiences and so many friendships. 2042 seems a long way off right now, but then the first 25 years have flown by... I have no more idea now what I'll be doing when I'm 71 years old than I did at 21, driving through Bedfordshire on that sunny morning. But I can quite imagine that I might be volunteering.
If you'd like to know more about volunteering at Conwy nature reserve, we have a display in the Coffee Shop to celebrate National Volunteers Week, and there is a noticeboard year-round by the bookshelves that features these opportunities. You can download a leaflet detailing the areas of work where we're looking for further help, or pick one up at the reserve.
Julian HughesSite Manager, Conwy