My volunteering journey started when the Volunteering Team announced an opportunity to volunteer at Bedfont Lakes Country Park’s Animal Rescue Centre for a day in November 2023. As someone who loves to interact with animals and spend time outdoors, I decided to participate.

During that experience, I connected with the employees and volunteers there. I mentioned that I am interested in working towards a career in Animal Conservation and they told me they are looking for long-term Volunteer Park Rangers. I have been volunteering at Bedfont Lakes once a month ever since.

My responsibilities as a Volunteer Park Ranger include taking care of the animals at the Animal Centre – feeding them, cleaning their enclosures, and providing them with enrichment; litter picking around the park and occasionally providing visitors with information when they approach us with questions about the park or the animals.

It has been a lovely experience thus far and has benefited me in several ways. Not only is it something that allows me to gain experience for my career goals and give back to the community, but volunteering at the Country Park has also been great for my mental health, as it allows me to take a break from the busy life of being a student in London and connect with nature.

More recently, the people at Bedfont Lakes Country Park have kindly introduced me to the Volunteer Conservation Group at Hounslow Heath. This group works hard to preserve the heathlands and I have been helping them out in addition to my role as Volunteer Park Ranger. I learn something new every time I volunteer there, and I gain valuable experience that is closely related to the kind of career path I hope to follow one day.