As many education leavers will recognise, it can be very challenging to get a job in your interest area without the relevant experience. Volunteering for a charity such as Sea Watch is a great way to get some of that in-the-field experience that so many employers are after. We have sea-watching and home-based volunteers from all walks of life, all making a valuable contribution to our data sets and outreach. Recently, one of our Merseyside volunteers, Paul Gilhooley, spent an afternoon enthusing sixth form students about the merits of volunteering and the incredible sea life a short way from their college!
“After an invitation to attend an animal welfare careers day at Riverside College in Halton, the opportunity arose to spread the word about the activities and roles of our organisation.
As a volunteer for Sea Watch Foundation, the opportunity to speak to a young audience about the diverse range of aquatic life living on our doorsteps was a chance to pass on some of my passion about the wonderful animals around our coastline.
From students to tutors, as well as representatives of other organisations attending on the day, the looks of awe and wonder at the mention of life found around Liverpool Bay, let alone UK waters made the whole experience worthwhile.
Questions were wide ranging, from the recent tragedy of the spate of whale strandings along the southern North Sea, to asking was it true about dolphins in the Mersey and the Dee rivers, and a lot if interest was given to possibly attending land based surveys in the future.”
We’re totally appreciative of Paul’s efforts and hopeful that many of the people he met will be inspired to contribute to our scheme.
If you’d like to start watching for whales and dolphins, please find out more here and email kathy.james@seawatchfoundation.org.uk for further advice.
We also have home-based volunteer opportunities, such as invaluable data entry and attending events on behalf of Sea Watch, you should also email Kathy for these opportunities. We look forward to hearing from you!
