Well that was a different day for us...
Thursday was a surreal day - the Prime Minister visited the reserve, and we showed him how fabulous it is! The RSPB and World Wildlife Fund - UK (WWF) made a case for wildlife and discussed environmental protection with David Cameron and then the explored the reserve!
It was a great opportunity for the WWF and RSPB to put across their viewpoints to our Prime Minister on our own turf, so to speak, about conservation issues.
It all started at 6.30am on Thursday morning, staff started arriving on site and we were shortly joined by aides and a security detail from Downing Street, keen to get us ‘organised’, and plan the detail of the visit.
And then RSPB senior colleagues started arriving – Mike Clarke our Chief Executive, Tim Stowe our Director of International, Professor Steve Ormerod who is the chairman of RSPB Council and Gareth Morgan our External Affairs lead. WWFs UK CEO arrived, David Nussbaum, and other WWF staff - plus Alistair McGowan, acting as one of their ambassadors.
After several briefings, walking the proposed route several times, and with everyone allocated to their allotted task, the PM’s car arrived at 9.15 – with accompanying vehicles and police outriders. Our Site Manager Andrew welcomed the PM, and brought the whole group then up into the visitor centre (The Prime Minister did say "wow what a view!"). Using our meeting room, Mike Clarke and the WWF CEO held a meeting with Mr Cameron, discussing the benefits of the EU nature directives and other environmental legislation – and by all accounts it was considered to have been a constructive and positive meeting.
RSPB CEO Mike Clarke, Prime Minister David Cameron, and WWF CEO David Nussbaum
Mike and David then walked the Prime Minister onto the reserve:
Then into the Purfleet hide, where our fabulous Warden Nicole and Alistair McGowan showed him the waders and wildfowl on the Purfleet scrape – which all performed brilliantly – and the PM was genuinely interested in what he was seeing. I’ll let Nicole take over with her experience of her time with the PM...
"It was initial shock, fear and dread (apparently my expression was priceless!) when Andrew told me that it was collectively decided that I should be the person to take the Prime Minister and Alistair McGowan for a brief walk on the reserve, and after a few deep breaths I agreed.
"I was introduced to Alistair McGowan who was lovely and extremely funny, he even did an impression of David Cameron for the police escorts!
"We both went down to the Purfleet hide where we would wait for David Cameron, Mike Clarke (RSPB CEO) and David Nussbaum (WWF CEO). Alistair was very easy to talk to and clearly very passionate about nature. We discussed his life growing up in the countryside, birds in his garden and the issues of urbanisation and climate change and why he felt the EU was instrumental for nature conservation. He was extremely impressed with the reserve and expressed a wish to come back. We were then given the cue that the PM was about to enter the hide. He came in, shook both Alistair’s hand and mine, and then made for the window with his binoculars in hand!
"He saw and correctly identified lapwing and then quizzed me and Mike Clarke about all the other birds on the scrape. The Prime Minister was very easy to talk to and genuinely seemed to be very interested and impressed with the reserve."
Alistair McGowan WWF Ambassador, David Cameron and Nicole Rainham Marshes Warden.
"We all strolled out of the hide where I then took the PM and Alistair McGowan to meet Howard and Louise, where we discussed declines in breeding waders, anti-predator fences, water voles, bird boxes at Number 10, pied wagtails in his garden and a mention of the Slaty backed gull! It was a very surreal but enjoyable day" - Nicole
Talking about Lapwing surveys and the work Nicole, Jamie (Assistant Warden) and the awesome team do to help these birds - (L-R) Alistair McGowan WWF Ambassador, Louise Visitor Experience Manager, David Cameron Prime Minister, Nicole Warden and Howard Visitor Experience Officer
Nicole and Howard showing the PM the wildlife on the reserve
It was a great opportunity for the WWF and RSPB to discuss the role and value of the EU Nature Directives, and other environmental legislation. Against the background of our 2 year Defend the Directives campaign, this was a potentially huge opportunity!
Do have a read of Mike Clarke's blog here about the EU debate - the WWF, RSPB and Wildlife Trusts have joined together to comment on what we are all trying to achieve, nature conservation, and how the EU vote may effect that. How you vote is up to you - the World Wildlife Fund and the RSPB are not telling people how to vote, and of course recognise that there are a whole range of issues to consider when you are voting... but as nature conservation organisations it is our duty to comment, and try to influence Governments, when we see something that might affect our interests, in this case nature conservation.
It was great to have lots of top RSPB people enjoying the reserve and commenting about how fabulous the reserve is looking (once again let's big up the wardening team - staff and volunteers for all their hard work!), and lots of praise for all the staff and volunteers that do everything to keep it going... So a big thank you to everyone for all your hard work keeping the reserve special - and a big thank you to all of you that visit, you help us keep Rainham a special place.
Alistair McGowan, and RSPB staff and volunteers (including HQ colleagues, regional colleagues and part of the Rainham Team)
Thursday was a fabulous result of months of planning and some of the team at Rainham had less than a day to react to the demands put upon us!
From my point of view, I feel Rainham is a great place to work and my colleagues are passionate and knowledgeable people, and the organisation I work for stands up for wildlife - whatever your political views it was a great chance to show what nature conservation is all about.
This is the first time a Prime Minister has visited an RSPB reserve since 1989 and your reserve had the kudos to play the host but at the heart of today it was about us, the RSPB, and the opportunity to show what we do and who we are and why protecting such places is important.
On Thursday everyone put their political views to one side and pulled together as a team for the right reasons – the conservation organisation that we work for and you support – the RSPB- and we are very proud to have been given the chance to show the man at the top (whatever colour tie he may wear) why we are so passionate about our jobs.