I was able to choose where I spent my Year 12 work experience week, and I wanted to choose a place that was useful and interesting. Surrey Wildlife Trust not only exceeded my wishes but also expectations by teaching me insightful lessons and giving me practical skills. I learnt many fascinating things in my four days of in-person work experience...

Day 1 - stock fence maintenance

The first day at Thundry Meadows involved getting rid of rotten fences and replacing them with new, stable ones. On this day I learnt how to use a hammer to knock things into awkward angles! It was on the way to the fence and back that I learnt that wellies are preferable to walking boots at this time of year. But, most importantly, I obtained the knowledge of why we were maintaining fences: to keep cows so they could graze the land in order to get rid of over-dominant species to increase biodiversity. Later, I learnt how to use a saw to replace rotten wood stairs with new ones. I also discovered about the butterfly transect in the area which taught me the importance of standardised sampling as well as giving me insight into how we can estimate the number of butterflies in the UK. Overall, a helpful and fascinating day!

Day 2 - standing dead wood

The heathland at Whitmoor Common was my next destination (lesson learnt, wellies on). Here, I met many interesting volunteers and staff who taught me the importance of dead wood for the species richness of insects. I was also told that pine trees had to be removed for the rarer, beautiful heathland habitat to flourish. Therefore, to create dead wood we went to marked trees to saw two parallel lines which were 6-inches apart. Then we chipped the bark, xylem and phloem off so the tree could eventually die and support a wider variety of fauna. This is because the xylem transports water and mineral ions in transpiration and phloem transports food for the plant such as glucose. Without this connected, the tree dies. The sawing was hard work but rewarding and the chipping was incredibly satisfying. At the end, I saw rings of bare wood oozing with sap and went home, content that I helped wildlife in the area.

Day 3 - hazel coppicing 

On the third day I went to the forest! On the Walk there I was told coppicing was essential for increasing plant species richness, to provide habitats and niches to support lots of fauna with food and shelter. This is because cutting hazel trees at the base increases light intensity on the ground for a wide range of flora to grow. This does not damage the hazel as it is a type of tree that can grow back from a stump. This is where I learned to coppice effectively without straining the saw I used. The other volunteers and I also cut off the small branches to use as a fence to shield the stump, high enough so that inquisitive dear are not able to disrupt the hazel tree re-growth. This was because on Tuesday (day two) I learnt that to preserve wildlife and protect rarer species, over-dominant species should not be left to grow wild.

Day 4 - hedge laying

On the fourth and final day I visited Tytings Farm to lay hedges. Fortunately, wellies were not needed, and I was thankful to have a nice spring breeze on my side in the sun. On the way I saw the Blackthorn with its white flowers and fresh green leaves and learnt of its value as shelter for butterflies (which I saw during the activity). I also became aware of the ground nesting birds like Skylarks in the area. In this session, I was able to lay a Yew tree with help. With lots of hacking and sawing I was able to contribute to an organised hedge that was much more helpful for increasing the species richness of flora and fauna than the barbed wire fence that used to be there, thus increasing the biodiversity of the area. I also got rid of many brambles that were not helpful for laying hedges as they grow upwards. On my lunch break I saw what I believe to be a badger skull which reminded me of all the life that hedges help to support.

To conclude, my work experience was not only beneficial for wildlife and for our society as a whole, but also personally beneficial as it taught me practical skills and the importance of teamwork and communication from working with other volunteers. This was all due to the helpful staff and volunteers who were kind and showed me how to help the environment and myself.