This week’s blog is brought to you by two of our Duke of Edinburgh volunteers; Poppy and Rebecca, who have been with us for the past three months in the shop. They’ve helped to keep the shop neat and well stocked, served our customers, and cleaned a lot of binoculars! In this blog they’ll be talking about their experiences with us, what they’ve learnt, and what they’ve seen. If you’re interested in volunteering, follow the link at the end of the blog to learn more about the different roles available.
Poppy
When I initially began choosing where to volunteer for my Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award, Newport Wetlands was my first choice as I had visited the reserve various times throughout my childhood and thought it would be a great choice to allow myself to learn about, appreciate and help nature, and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to volunteer here.
I have always enjoyed the atmosphere and peace of visiting the wetlands but volunteering here allowed me to meet the staff - who are extremely welcoming and friendly - and appreciate the wetlands in a new light.
Volunteering here was a rewarding and great learning experience, allowing me to learn about various species of birds and moths - some of the moths I saw were:
Poplar hawkmoth, eyed hawkmoth, puss moth, iron prominent, pebble prominent, shuttle-shaped-dart, flame shoulder, Hebrew character, muslin moth, gold spot and nut-tree tussocks.
I was also taught about the various binoculars and scopes they have on sale and was given the opportunity to look through the binoculars to observe the quality of the various binoculars on sale.
During my time volunteering, there was also an event that would take place on the weekend of the end of each month – an optics weekend.
This is where they open a lakeside room for the public to allow people to test our various binoculars and scopes and learn about the different aspects of the binoculars on sale from a binocular expert on our team. During this weekend, we were given the opportunity to be taught about the binoculars and scopes and use them ourselves.
As I had only been there for a few weeks, it helped me retain information about the binoculars – as well as allowing me to appreciate the scenery of the lake and practice using binoculars and scopes.
Overall, I found it was a great learning experience that helped me gain working experience and practice working in a team and I would gladly work here again in the future.
Rebecca
Three months ago, I was thinking about where I wanted to spend my time volunteering. After thinking for a week, I decided to apply for the Newport Wetlands RSPB. I applied here because the reserve is extremely gorgeous, and the RSPB is a charity-based organization. I wanted to give something back while doing my Duke of Edinburgh, so I had decided that I was going to work for a charity. The RSPB is also close to my house so its more comfortable for me overall.
This past three months I’ve learnt a lot about birds and overall wildlife. I have learnt a lot about different species of birds. I have also learnt how to operate a till.
While I’ve been volunteering here, I have been maintaining binoculars and I’ve learnt how to clean them properly. Lastly, I’ve learnt about the different brands of binoculars and their different qualities. I also participated in optics weekend where I socialised with costumers and helped them try out different scopes and binoculars.
Duke of Edinburgh is just one way of volunteering with the RSPB. Whether you are looking for work experience, to learn some new skills or simply want to help save nature, Newport Wetlands welcomes you warmly. For more information and to apply click: https://volunteer.rspb.org.uk/opportunities/results?#display=grid&s=distance&o=asc&page=1&public_search=true&search=Newport&lat&lon&geojson=426&limit=14&include=image