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Getting stuck in

Charlie introduces himself and can't quite believe that he's lucky enough to be conservation trainee...

Right, here we go! Hello, I’m Charlie and I'm a conservation trainee for Worcestershire Wildlife Trust...wow! That’s still a shock to hear out loud (and in writing) and I've been part of the team for nearly three months now.

Before I accelerate into the details of these fast-passing months, I’d like to introduce myself...

I have always taken great interest in wildlife, nature and the living world; countless hours have been spent outside admiring the beautiful backdrops of Worcestershire's countryside!

When the opportunity to study a new environmental science course arose at college, I knew that I had to give it a try. It didn’t take long for me to realise that I’d chosen wisely! Studying environmental science was my first proper introduction to conservation and immediately after finishing my studies, I attempted to find a way into the conservation side of the working world.

In the meantime, I found myself working and slowly progressing in the hospitality industry. A very draining 18 months followed, with little to no progression in the direction of where I wanted to go. Thankfully, I knew of someone who could help me out - I turned to Mother Nature to put me back on track! Following guidance, I began volunteering for local organisations such as The Worcester Environmental Group and, of course, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust.

With the Trust I began as a roving volunteer. I felt so welcomed even though, still being new to conservation, I was constantly requesting information from the reserve officers about their reserves. To fast forward a few months – I applied to the traineeship and by some miracle I found myself joining the team in April.

Man in protective workwear with a brushcutter on the side of a woodland path, smiling and looking at the camera

Brushcutting 

We’re in July now and I feel as though everything’s moving far too quickly; there are too many highlights and magic moments to document! From becoming qualified to use a brushcutter to surveying dormice in Ribbesford Wood, everything has been simply fantastic and I'm loving every bit of it. Truthfully, I can't contain the excitement I feel for the rest of the traineeship.

Recently the trainee team and I have enjoyed (and endured) a destructive day at Ipsley Alders Marsh. Reserves Officer Eleanor had tasked Catherine, Carolyn, Patrick and me to erase and displace the boardwalk through the woodland there. This came as a surprise to us as just three weeks before, Patrick and I had spent some time replacing some rotten boards, which was surprisingly challenging in itself! We'd done a good job making sure the boards were fixed into the bearer below...little did we know that this would come back to haunt us!

First thing in the morning we readied our hammers and prybars and loaded them into the Land Rover for the hard day ahead. Upon arrival we loaded our tools and survival pack (full of mint imperials) into the wheelbarrow and set off down the track towards the woodland boardwalk. 

Two men sitting on a boardwalk in a woodland removing the boardwalk planks in front of them

Dismantling the boardwalk

Straight away we were scaling our operation and, measuring in Patrick’s paces, we had around 50 or so metres of boardwalk to remove. We quickly got to work lifting up the boards with our prybars and de-nailing with our hammers. Rinse and repeat! Progress was initially slow as the bearer at the beginning of the boardwalk was relatively new and unscathed. This differed from the mid-section, which was in a very bad state and thankfully made life a lot easier.

Lunchtime took a long time to arrive, however, and after a tiring couple of hours, we were thankful that the clock did finally turn. While having a break we concluded that we weren’t going to complete the task today and that we’d have to accept defeat. Sure enough, at the end of the day, we found that we had done 21 of Patrick’s steps; sadly 29 short! So, I took the Land Rover keys and we retreated to Smite to recover and, of course, rethink our plan of attack for the following day.

Man taking apart a boardwalk through a woodland

Removing a boardwalk

On day two, Patrick and Carolyn had a great method of removing the boards and I was on nail-removal duty to begin with; our morning teas must have worked well and we hurried along without too much difficulty. Slowly but surely the end was approaching and once we reached it, the feeling of accomplishment and victory washed over us all in great quantities. Other feelings that washed over us were achy muscles and joints!

The traineeship has been incredible so far. Every time I’m putting on my WWT clothing, I'm pinching my arm to see if its real! I’m hoping that the traineeship will help me to progress into a conservation-based career, alongside helping me to progress as a person!

 

Following theoretical training in environmental science at college, Charlie is thoroughly enjoying gaining practical experience and is passionate about working in conservation at the end of his traineeship.

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