Jupiter lives up to the urban part of its name. But although the reserve is based in an industrial area, wildlife flourishes. As I entered the reserve for the first time, I was greeted by birdsong and bees buzzing round the reserve’s wildflower meadows.

Throughout my two-week placement I completed a variety of tasks. Environmental education is a core part of what Jupiter is about, and I helped deliver lessons with five different school trips to the reserve. This was a really rewarding part of the role as the children had a great time completing activities such as pond dipping and minibeast hunts.

Another highlight was researching and recording the wildlife found at Jupiter. With the help of the rangers, I vastly improved my bee, butterfly and bird identification skills. I am sure that the experience I gained completing these surveys will be very handy in the future. I was also introduced to trail cameras. These excellent bits of kit allowed us to capture some of the more elusive creatures that call Jupiter home, such as foxes and herons.

I also worked with Jupiter’s volunteers twice a week. This lovely bunch of people help to maintain the reserve and can be asked to help out with a wide range of tasks. For example, we built 20 mini bug hotels and gave them away at one of Jupiter’s events. They were a hit as the children enjoyed decorating them and it felt great to be part of that.

I am thrilled that I managed to develop so many  skills during this work experience placement. I am extremely grateful to the staff at Jupiter, for taking me in and coming up with interesting tasks for me to do. They allowed me to explore conservation work in a way I never had before, and allowed me to use my learning in school in real life situations. My experience at Jupiter is one I will never forget and I hope that any job I choose to do has as much value as the work done at Jupiter.