A year ago I was coming to the end of my days at university, still wondering what I wanted to do with my life and feeling pretty directionless, to be honest. By chance I stumbled across the RSPB's advert for residential internships - it sounded like a fantastic way to have some adventure, develop my skills, and hopefully pursue a future career in conservation. The prospect of volunteering for an entire year was a little daunting at first, but now, after the best year of my life so far, I can honestly say I've got no regrets.
My time as a visitor officer intern began at Coombes Valley - a stunningly beautiful semi-ancient woodland hidden away at the foot of the peak district. Number one on my list of Coombes highlights has to be the people - as it's a small reserve with a small team, every single person is vital to making it work, and the team spirit, passion and determination that goes into everything is an unmissable experience. Coming a close second is the reserve itself - living on the edge of such a fantastically rich habitat meant that every day held chances to learn new things, which I definitely did in spades! Getting stuck in with events planning and running, social media and blogging was a massive learning curve for me, but one which I truly enjoyed.
When I moved to Fairburn Ings for my second six month stint, I was bowled over by the beauty of the place. Although far from a natural habitat given its past usage as a coal mining site, the diversity of life to be found everywhere I looked was incredible. Nestled only a few miles from Leeds, the potential for engaging people and families with nature is incredible here, and something I've loved getting hands-on with. From planning and running activities and events to writing press releases and giving radio interviews, every new thing that I've done has meant an incredible opportunity to learn and develop new skills. But again, the number one highlight out of all of it has to be the people.
Engaging with visitors and getting into conversations about a shared passion for nature is an incredible thing to have in a job, and makes it all worthwhile when you can see that someone's gone away feeling excited and inspired by the nature you're working to save. This is what makes the RSPB such an amazing organization - it's full of incredibly passionate, friendly and fun people who are all driven by the fact that they care about nature, and want to do something to help. At the end of the day, I couldn't ask for anything more in a career - I'm leaving my internship inspired about the work of the RSPB and excited for the future - now I've got my foot in the door, I just have to step through!