Nature is a massive part of my life. When I was younger I spent most of the warmer months climbing oak trees and crafting makeshift “dens” in Northumberland Park, Tynemouth. Once my day at primary school was finished with, I would run home, have my dinner and then meet with my friends and spend the night running around the park. I knew when it was time to come home when the lamp posts automatically turned on as the sun fell further beneath the horizon.
Naturally I grew out of this when I entered high school. My hobbies shifted from playing out with friends to sitting in front of my computer until midnight. The outdoors rarely entered my mind for those five years.
In 2023, I started to show an interest in the outdoors again. Wild-camping and bushcraft videos exploded in popularity after the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. Being the chronically online boy I was, those videos landed on my recommended page. I watched channels like Xander Budnick, Lost Lakes, Outdoor Boys and more. My interest in nature and the outdoors slowly began to take my over life once again. I bought the essentials and booked a wild-camping trip in the Pentland Hills Regional Park that sits outside of the city of Edinburgh with my Uncle and brother.
That trip changed my perspective on nature. I no longer thought of it as an exclusive place purely for old people with expensive binoculars. It was freedom – and it was also for me to enjoy!
George’s camping trip in the Pentland Hills
After having a conversation about potentially lending a hand with my cousin’s gardening business, she recommended checking out Gosforth Nature Reserve and its volunteering opportunity. That same hour I had applied to be a volunteer ranger.
Now that we are in spring and colour is showing itself once again, I can safely say that volunteering here at Gosforth Nature Reserve is the best thing I have chosen to do. The peace and tranquility I felt at Bonaly Reservoir in the Pentland Hills has been found at this reserve. The affect being in nature has had not just on my mental health but my physical health is very surprising.
The opportunities that have been given to me is wonderful, too. I am grateful to be apart of the Field Skills Programme this year and I’m really looking forward to learning and growing my knowledge of identification of different species of bees, trees and everything in-between. The demo area that myself and volunteer Chris Wren are working on to educate people of all ages about nature is an amazing opportunity as a young naturalist trying to grow his portfolio.
It amazes me how kind and receptive other volunteers have been of me, too. Every single one has been keen to teach me about birds, fungi, trees. I feel as if I’m learning something new every day that I’m here. I highly recommend volunteering at Gosforth Nature Reserve. It’s done wonders for my mental and physical health and brought me back to my love for nature. I feel more connected with nature while also growing my CV. Who wouldn’t want to do that?