Hi! I’m Dr Fiona Draper and I’m one of the newest volunteers at  the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre. I originally trained as an environmental scientist but have spent most of my working life in industry. I’m semi-retired and moved to Ceredigion at the end of last year, having already signed up to do a part time certificate in ecology at Aberystwyth University.

I did my initial volunteer training in February 2020 with Laura Evans, the Living Seas Officer. This initial training provided me with all the information I needed to begin doing land based surveys ‘Big 3’ (i.e. bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoises, and Atlantic grey seals) under supervision. That’s one of the nicest things about volunteering with the centre, they’re a really friendly bunch and always willing to help and support.

I love volunteering for what I guess are the obvious reasons: making new friends; putting something back to benefit the community; and having the opportunity  to use my existing skills and knowledge while simultaneously gaining new ones.

Once I was able to go out on my own to do surveys, I was shown how to enter the data that’s collected into the computer database and also how check data entries. I was also invited to take part in a beach litter clean. Beach cleans are one of those odd things; pleasantly satisfying when all the rubbish has been removed but equally horrifying in terms of the quantity and type of rubbish found and the damage it does to wildlife and habitats.

I love volunteering for what I guess are the obvious reasons: making new friends; putting something back to benefit the community; and having the opportunity  to use my existing skills and knowledge while simultaneously gaining new ones. Above all I know the centre’s activities are making a positive difference to the marine and coastal environment.

Of course, beach cleans and land based surveys have temporarily had to stop due to Covid-19 but that doesn’t mean that I’ve had to stop volunteering. I’m currently writing an article for a local Welsh language paper about the Living Seas Project and also attending training courses via Zoom. Volunteering is also about fun and the centre organises regular quizzes with a coastal theme for volunteers. These are also done on Zoom.

I’m really looking back to getting back to volunteering. I’m not sure what I’m looking forward to most. It’s a difficult question. I really miss land based  surveys for the ‘Big 3’ and I’m really keen to do boat based surveys but I honestly can’t wait to get back to doing beach surveys. I used to do them before I moved to Ceredigion and the recent training I’ve had from the centre via Zoom has rekindled my interest.

See you on the beach!