Hi, I'm Lizzie Pennefather and this is my volunteer story.

I was very lucky to grow up in Africa and India, gaining a love for wildlife from the amazing natural world around me. I became particularly interested in marine life and wanted to do more to help protect our marine environments.

After my GCSEs, I undertook a 13 day sponsored walk of the Cumbria Coastal Way. I also wanted to find opportunities to help the coastal environment in a more hands on way. When I approached Cumbria Wildlife Trust about my fundraising plans and my wish to get involved with volunteering opportunities, they were very encouraging, helpful and supportive. I have been volunteering with them ever since!

I volunteer with the Marine Team on the stunning Cumbria coast. This has included everything from beach cleans to dune surveys. I’ve even helped out at events for families like rock pooling activities, coastal foraging events and St Bees Seafest. I’ve got to know some beautiful and fascinating coastal areas through this, including: St Bees, Maryport, Parton, Harrington, Walney island and Sandscale Haws.

I’ve just completed the training to become a Marine Champion and can now lead coastal surveys for Cumbria Wildlife Trust. This has really built up my survey and identification skills. I have learned how to conduct sea watches, rocky shore surveys and dune surveys. I have even acquired my Outdoor First Aid qualification as part of this. Not only has this been fascinating and enjoyable, but it has really built my confidence and given me excellent practical skills that will help me in my future career. I hope that having this on my CV will demonstrate that I have proactively acquired useful skills and show how committed I am to working in marine conservation.

When I first started volunteering I had a large amount of enthusiasm but very little knowledge… and that is really all you need! Volunteering has been a great way of learning more about marine wildlife and the Cumbrian Coast, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to work in conservation. Working alongside Trust experts as well as other volunteers who know far more than me has been an incredible way of building my own knowledge and skills.

I was a very shy 16 year old when I first started volunteering, I didn’t know anyone and was incredibly nervous! Volunteering has allowed me to step outside my comfort zone and has really built my confidence. Everyone from Cumbria Wildlife Trust has been very welcoming and extremely generous with their time and advice. All the volunteers I have met have been friendly and enthusiastic about wildlife - I’ve really enjoyed meeting so many people and especially talking to those people who are at university studying subjects that I am also interested in studying. It’s been great to get to spend time with people who share my passion for nature.

My highlight has been volunteering at St Bees’ SeaFest for the last two years because of the amazing team spirit in CWT’s marine team which has made it so much fun… even when the marquee blew away in the wind!

I hope that Cumbria’s very special marine environment will be protected and improved in a way that benefits marine and coastal life, as well as all those people who live in or visit Cumbria.

Spending time outdoors surrounded by nature is incredibly beneficial, and by volunteering with Cumbria Wildlife Trust you can help preserve our amazing environment as well as getting out and about and enjoying our beautiful surroundings.

Lizzie's message to young  people who are unsure how to help the environment:

'Just get involved with something! There are so many different ways of volunteering that there is bound to be something that you will enjoy doing, so why not try out a few things that you think sound interesting and see how it goes? Whether you have a little time to help or a lot of time to volunteer, there are so many things to get involved in where you can really make a difference to the environment.'