We are both interested in future careers related to the environment and are both currently studying Geography and Biology at A Level. We organized a placement with the Surrey Wildlife Trust to increase our understanding of the environmental field and the physical role of humans in the natural world. During our week of work experience, we took part in a number of different activities and saw several different habitats, such as chalk grasslands, heathland and woodland. The SWT team and our fellow volunteers were incredibly supportive and helpful at showing/teaching us all about the tasks we were carrying out, leaving us with an experience we will never forget!

On our first day of work experience, we headed down to Ash Ranges in Normandy to carry out fencing repairs after a fire that occurred a few weeks prior. Before each session throughout the week, there was a debriefing from the team leader; here, they discussed the tasks of the day and the related health and safety precautions. In order to carry out the fencing repairs, we had to trim back the vegetation that surrounded each post. After the debriefing, we headed out to the affected area and got to work! We partnered up with Eleanor who showed us what tools we were going to be using and the areas that we were tackling. The tools included bow saws and loppers to help remove the gorse that surrounded each burnt fence post. Eleanor taught us about the rule of thumb: loppers could not be used on anything larger than your own thumb. We made sure to apply this while clearing. Later in the day, we managed to find a striped ladybird which we were able to identify using Stuart’s identification leaflets.

 After clearing for a while, we swapped over to using the drivel to set the wooden poles in place. Unfortunately, we were not able to finish replacing the fencing for the entire perimeter, however, we did manage to get a significant amount done! It was particularly amazing to see how, despite the vast extent of the fire (300 acres), bracken and other small shrubs and trees were already managing to grow back.

The next day, we met up at Whitmoor Common to set up a grazing compartment for cattle using similar fence posts to Monday along with electric wires and metal stakes. There were a lot more volunteers that day which allowed us to put up the fencing very efficiently! Luke showed us how to drill insulators into the fencing to allow the connection of the wire. As with every other day, we stopped for two breaks between activities: a tea break and lunch. During the tea break, the SWT team were kind enough to provide biscuits along with the supplies to make our own tea, coffee or hot chocolate. We really enjoyed these breaks as they provided us with a chance to chat with other volunteers to learn about their experiences and the knowledge they had gained over the years. After lunch, we set up the electric wire with Lucie, making sure that it was taut to prevent cattle from being able to jump over.  As a result of the high number of volunteers (there were around 20!), we were able to finish setting up the grazing compartment earlier than we were planning to and we could sit back and admire our work.  

On Wednesday, we were tasked with tree popping at Coneyboro Hill in order to maintain the chalk grassland and prevent the area from being turned into forest. Doing this allowed us to protect species distinct to chalk grassland; furthermore, the process of removing the saplings using tree poppers turns over the soil and helps with new growth while refraining from the use of chemicals. The removal of the root additionally prevents the regrowth of the saplings. As we were carrying out the tree popping, Stuart pointed out to us the large Roman snails that were hidden throughout the area; he taught us that for hibernation, the snails produce a secretion that hardens and forms a lid which protects the snails from the cold winter temperatures. Further into the day, Stuart went searching for orchids (yes there are orchids in the UK!) and managed to find a Green Hairstreak Butterfly! Unfortunately, the wind and rain peaked around lunchtime, meaning we got completely soaked and even cut lunchtime short because many of us were so cold! However, this was all put right when the sky cleared on the walk down the hill and we saw the beautiful view across the valley (as well as a cow!).

For our final day of work experience, we undertook the clearance of young rhododendron re-growth. Even though it is considered by many as a beautiful plant for the garden, rhododendron is an invasive species that does not benefit our wildlife; this is a result of it not being a food source or a habitat for many local species. In order to remove the rhododendron, we used loppers and bow saws along with our own hands; this was because the shallow roots allowed us to pull them out with ease. After lunch, we moved on to the clearance of bracken; this was done due to the quick growth of bracken preventing the establishment of other species. We cleared the bracken using jungle knives (don’t worry they were blunt!), making sure that we kept a far enough distance away from the badger burrows. As we were clearing, we made sure to differentiate between bracken and fern: bracken originates from a single stem whereas fern is comprised of many. Towards the end of the day, we came across an expanse of English bluebells, some butterflies and an ants nest in the trunk of a tree!                                                                                                              

Overall, we both really enjoyed this work experience placement with SWT and believe that it will help us no end in furthering our environmental careers. We really recommend this to any interested parties as we have gained lots of essential experience and will very likely return in the future!