Hi, I'm Vicky Slugocki and this is my volunteer story.

Having grown up on the coast of North Wales, my passion for the outdoors was developed through bird watching and nature walks with my grandad. This inspired me to learn about Geography and Biology at school, where I learnt about the values of nature and our social responsibility to conserve biodiversity and the environment. I went on to start studying Ecology and Conservation at Lancaster University, where I was able to develop my interest in wildlife by going out and experiencing the beautiful surrounding landscapes of The Lake District, Forest of Bowland, and Arnside and Silverdale AONB.

I spent 7 weeks volunteering full-time as a placement student for part of my MSci Ecology and Conservation Degree. I specifically wanted to volunteer with CWT because they are a charity dedicated to conserving UK species and habitats, so I believed they would be just as passionate about nature as I am! CWT are also part of the wider Wildlife Trusts network and have lots of prominent environmental figures affiliated with them, such as President Emeritus Sir David Attenborough, so I thought experience with them would be a great way to get close to nature and wedge my foot into the world of wildlife conservation.

My main role was to write species reintroduction feasibility studies for the potential reintroduction of Choughs, Water voles, and Harvest mice to Cumbria. But I also spent lots of my time out at Foulshaw Moss helping with habitat management such as small tree and rhododendron removal. I also got to visit the Bowber Head Farm reserve and assist with plug planting to increase biodiversity on the rare upland hay meadow habitat.

I was able to develop a range of transferrable skills such as communication, self-organisation, and problem-solving, as well as more-specialist skills such as species identification and how to use different tools when helping with habitat management. This really helped to boost both my confidence and my CV, enabling me to advertise the skills I’d developed to prospective graduate employers and achieve a position as a Graduate Ecologist, upon finishing university.

There are many brilliant staff members and volunteers at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, with a wide variety of knowledge. It can be hard feeling as if everyone else knows more than you and I definitely felt a bit overwhelmed when I first started volunteering. However, I quickly realised there is no shame in not knowing as much as everyone else. You’re surrounded by experts so you should seize the opportunity and learn as much as you can. Knowledge and confidence often come with experience and Cumbria Wildlife Trust provides the perfect environment to help anyone interested in wildlife flourish.

For me, the best part about volunteering is seeing the positive outcomes of the work you have completed, it really helps you to take pride in what you do. Most of the volunteering I completed was over the winter months, helping to manage the reserves ready for the following spring/summer season. Therefore, returning during these months and watching the wildlife you helped to conserve flourish is really rewarding. There’s nothing better than helping to plug-plant at Bowber Head Farm during the winter and then returning during the summer to see the sea of beautiful pink, purple, yellow and white flowers bloom in the meadows.

Another example is when I helped to fix the boardwalk at Foulshaw Moss. I’ll forever be proud for helping with this because I feel like I played a part in helping other people safely experience the wildlife that I am so passionate about. It was a small action that helped keep both the wildlife of the nature reserve and the visitors safe. It’s definitely an example of how great results can be achieved when a group of people work together.

I’d love to see people brought closer to nature with an increase in nature reserves, making beautiful wildlife sites accessible on everyone’s doorsteps and positively impacting nature through it’s conservation.

Vicky's message for young volunteers who are thinking about getting involved and would like to help the environment

"If you’re nervous, then the hardest step is usually showing up to your first volunteer session. Trying a new activity can be scary but everyone at Cumbria Wildlife Trust is so welcoming, you’ll fit right in. After all, everyone’s there because they’re passionate about conserving wildlife, so you’ll meet lots of like-minded people along the way.

There are lots of different ways you can help with the environment, and you’d be surprised how big of a difference that small actions can have. Imagine if every person on the planet took one small action for the environment every day, one person alone can’t stop global warming but together we can make a huge difference; a team effort is definitely the way to go!"