Every year, our Handa volunteers dedicate up to 6 months working with us. They give a lot to the Trust but we believe they get a lot in return.

In this second blog, we hear Ellie Berry’s story (Handa volunteer in 2022) and what happened after her Handa experience.

“I very nearly didn’t volunteer on Handa. I’d been working in a challenging-in-all-the-wrong-ways job in a city since moving back the UK and then throughout lockdown. I was in a rut. I applied for several positions, and was offered both volunteering on Handa and a paid position on a whale watching boat near Oban. After some consideration I decided to take the leap of faith and work for free for 6 months…and what a good call that was! Handa was a unique and healing time, despite all the ups and downs that come with living on an uninhabited Scottish island.”

Why is a long term placement on Handa particularly valuable?

“I was the Skua Project Officer and volunteered for the entire season monitoring the Arctic and Great skuas. I also shared the other duties involved in taking care of and advocating for the island which included: boardwalk maintenance, visitor talks, counting people on and off boats, bothy care, assisting in other seabird monitoring, casual monitoring of other species, hosting the path builders and work parties, supporting monthly volunteers, and sharing life with the other bothy-dwellers. I learnt a heap of stuff that I didn’t know before moving to the island namely:

• the power barrows taught me the basics of how to work an engine;
• my fellow volunteers taught me how to identify birds;
• the reserve manager taught me about plants and the recent human stories on the island;
• the skuas taught me how to persevere and take extreme care when looking for chicks in deep heather whilst getting dive bombed and screamed at;
• the boardwalk taught me how to use a crowbar, hammer, and nails, without injuring myself;
• the bothy taught me that I never really need time to myself as I get my energy from other people;
• the island taught me how wonderful it is to know a small piece of land in such detail, and even the most mundane days can become exciting in a second.

I found that life in the bothy and on the island was best understood over a long period of time. It’s an adjustment from the rhythms of the mainland and once you adjust to the island, you realise the day-to-day is so varied. By deep diving into the details, you realise you have so much to learn.

Staying long term taught me that a mission shared with other like-minded individuals feeds your drive and motivation.”

What’s happened with your career since you left Handa?

“I’m now working on a different Scottish island for a very different project; a private restoration project that is in the process of launching various conservation initiatives. Having Handa on my CV helped me get the job as I already had Scottish island experience that was heavily nature-restoration focused. Proving that you can work well over an extended period of time in a remote location is useful too, as it shows resilience and strength of character.”

Why would you recommend a (long term) placement on Handa for young people looking to get work in conservation?

“I’d recommend a long-term placement on Handa to young people in particular. Handa shows us a way of life that isn’t available as much anymore. You’re spending the majority of your time outside exploring and learning and using your body. If you’re inside, you’re in a bothy adorned with books from previous Handa-loving generations, paintings of seabirds, the best stocked kitchen ever, and a gorgeous wood burner, where you can take care of yourself and others simultaneously….
Or, you can chill out in your bed, bunk curtains drawn if you like, arctic skuas calling overhead, two private beaches just a 3 minute walk away. You’re safe in the knowledge that you’re living the dream life, whilst gaining invaluable professional and personal skills in the process. What’s not to love!”

“Living a stone’s throw from the Old Village also reminds you that you are a temporary custodian who should honour local history, landscape and wildlife by doing every job in a mindful way. This mindset is crucial to conservation, and Handa will leave you with a yearning to go out and discover more wild places to protect.”

Thank you to Ellie.

If this has inspired you, you can find our 2025 season Handa volunteer opportunities on our website.