"My name is Poppy and I am 15 years’ old.  For the past six months I have volunteered at Avon Wildlife Trust, once a month, on a Saturday afternoon, as part of my silver Duke of Edinburgh award.  I have always been interested in nature and animals, so to join the team here was a wonderful experience.

I felt a little bit nervous going along to something new on the first day, but I had a friend with me, and anyway I didn’t need to worry, everyone was really friendly and welcomed me to join in the activities.  Lucy led the way, showing us all what we would be doing.  I’ve learnt a lot of new skills, ranging from planting seeds, clearing long grass with a scythe and litter picking – things I would never usually do on a Saturday afternoon!

A highlight for me was building hedgehog houses to be placed in the bushes around the site in Frenchay – providing a safe place for hedgehogs to hibernate.  I only wish that I could have been around to see one in there!

I loved being outdoors, it’s been a lot of fun and I feel proud to have made even a small difference to preserving wildlife in our area – thank you for having me as part of your team.  If anyone is thinking about joining Avon Wildlife Trust as a Volunteer, I would highly recommend it.  I didn’t have any previous experience, you don’t need it, just an interest in wildlife and nature and the ability to roll your sleeves up and get stuck into an activity for a few hours!" 

Thank you Polly for writing your blog! If you're a young person who would like to get involved with Avon Wildlife Trust, follow the link below.

Find out more about our opportunities for young people