"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.
My experience with the Young Volunteers
![The Young Volunteers](/sites/default/files/styles/scaled_default/public/2024-07/July%20supportmember%20newsletter%20header.jpg?itok=KxSzM5e1)
Some of the AWT Young Volunteers
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!
![Hedgehog shelter built by the Young Volunteers](/sites/default/files/styles/scaled_default/public/2024-07/Three%20cornered%C2%A0leek%20%281%29.jpg?itok=L9OUeiCB)
The hedgehog hibernaculum built by Poppy and the Young Volunteers
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.