A fond farewell...

Lydia bids us a fond farewell as the next chapter in her career begins...

So here it is…my final blog. The past eight and a half months of my traineeship have gone by so quickly and now it has come to an end. I've been successful in securing my first full time paid role in conservation and am off to explore east Devon as an Assistant Wetlands Ranger, working on Seaton Wetlands with East Devon District Council. I’m excited for a new challenge, and a new place to discover, and am proud of myself for pursuing my dream and actually getting there; the sacrifices and hard work along the way have really paid off. This does mean, however, that I have to say goodbye to Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, which I am gutted about. It’s a really strange feeling to be leaving a place that I’ve loved being a part of.

I can’t really put into words how I feel about the traineeship. I have enjoyed every minute. Every single one. That's no exaggeration – even the challenging times have helped me to grow in one way or another. Looking back to when I started I really felt out of my depth, feeling that I should know more than I did or should be stronger to complete the practical tasks than I was. But I soon learnt that no question was too silly and everyone starts off a lot weaker than they leave; I’ve certainly built some muscles over my traineeship!

Two women in a small rowing boat removing green vegetation from a pond by Iain Turbin — Removing crassula by Iain Turbin

Starting alongside Meg was great – we were both in the same boat (literally, at times) and learning together, it was so important to have that team feeling where you could pick each other up on a difficult task or enjoy a new experience together. Needless to say I was so proud but also so sad when Meg found her first job and I was left as a lone trainee. However, it wasn’t long before Romy started and it was lovely to have a fellow teammate again - it's been great to go off and do tasks with Romy and Iain as a team and try to pass on some of my own advice to make Romy’s traineeship easier (such as, if someone asks you to dig out a gate post, run away as fast as you can – I’ve not had an easy one yet).

Grass snake on bare ground by Lydia Rackham — Grass snake by Lydia Rackham

There are far too many wonderful experiences to write them all down but a few spring to mind. Like Meg wrote in her last blog, pulling crassula out of a Trench Wood pond was certainly something I won’t forget – especially as we were trying to do a radio interview at the time whilst battling our way through frozen water. Seeing my first grass snake and slow-worms at Lower Smite Farm (or ever, in fact) was just so exciting. And being out on the many reserves and soaking up all their glory, from wildflowers to birdsong I’ve definitely been able to appreciate our native wildlife a lot more since doing the traineeship.

Land Rover and trailer stuck in a hedge — A stuck Land Rover and trailer

Then there are those experiences that make me laugh when I look back even if, at the time, it wasn’t so funny. Like being a bit too keen on closing a gate at Upton Warren and getting the Land Rover and trailer completely stuck, having to call on half of the reserves team to come and help us get out. Or when I was chainsaw practicing, I'd get trees hung up and had to rope in volunteers to help me get them unstuck. There are many more examples, I could go on for ages!

For anyone considering the traineeship I would say "do it". Gaining the practical experience is so important when looking for a job in conservation and the variety of tasks you get involved with gives you a wealth of knowledge - from practical habitat management to social media videos and from surveying to project work, every day is different. The formal qualifications like brushcutter, chainsaw and first aid are all a bonus too and essential for getting a job! For the next team of trainees my advice would be to soak it all in - it goes by too fast - take every experience you can and always be willing to have a go at everything. You’ll surprise yourself with what you can do and what you’ll enjoy.Finally, I would like to say my biggest thanks to all the staff and volunteers at the Trust for making my time as a trainee so enjoyable. Thank you for the time, knowledge and patience you’ve given me. I’ve learnt so much more than I ever thought I would and never realised the amount of work that goes in to keeping our nature reserves so fantastic for wildlife; you all do the most amazing job. Special thanks to the trainee team: Iain, Meg and Romy – I have loved getting to know you all and working alongside you – you’ve all helped me realise that I’m capable of a lot more than I think I am! I have had the absolute best time and I know without the traineeship I definitely wouldn’t have got a job doing something I am so passionate about and am so grateful for the opportunity. But a new chapter awaits and I’m really looking forward to seeing where it takes me.