Introduce yourself

My name is Liz Edwardes and I have been a volunteer with the Surrey Wildlife Trust since June 2017, working with the Education Team at Nower Wood. I have helped them with school visits doing  pond dipping, mini beast hunting, looking at habitats, Forest School  and many other exciting and wonderful adventures. More recently I have also been helping with admin for the Finance and Marketing teams at the SWT main office in Pirbright.

What inspired you to start volunteering with Surrey Wildlife Trust?

When I retired I knew that I wanted to stay involved as a volunteer using my skills. My background was project management, training and working with young people. I also wanted to spend more time outside. I Googled these requirements and the result was the Education Team at Nower Wood in Leatherhead. I had a chat with the team and it seemed a perfect fit and I started helping shortly after.

Describe your best volunteering moment

There have been many magical moments. The pleasure in seeing young people’s excitement when they find and identify pond creatures and mini beats is wonderful and if that enthusiasm carries on it is a fantastic and fun way to introduce them to the environment and environmental issues.

I have also had great times helping at holiday clubs with many activities including crafting with natural materials and seeing the pride and excitement in the young people with what they have created.

Is there anything you have learnt about yourself while volunteering?

My enthusiasm for working with young people outside in the woodland will, I hope, be something they remember in the future. I have also discovered a pleasure in crafting which I hadn’t done before. On a personal level I have found  I have learnt many things from being with experts in the woodlands and being outside brings an inner tranquillity and appreciation of the beauty of the natural world. Nower Wood is for me a magical place which has provided me with fun, learning, working with the wonderful staff and volunteers and a sense off wellbeing that will never be surpassed.

Why do you think that people should volunteer?

I really encourage people volunteer because it is an opportunity to share the skills and knowledge they have and also learn new skills. It is a flexible arrangement and there are many different activities and locations around Surrey where people can get involved. Also it is a great place to meet new people and make new friends.

It is good to hope that I have made a difference and the teams I have worked with have been so appreciative and lovely that I can honestly say this has been one of the most heart-warming periods of my life.