Every year, a number of students volunteer with the Scottish Wildlife Trust during the summer, often as part of their studies, to get practical experience to help their future career. In this blog we hear from Marie Morel who recently spent the summer volunteering at our Montrose Basin Visitor Centre.

My name is Marie, I am 21 years old, from France and currently studying project management. This summer, as part of my course, I spent 3 months volunteering for the Scottish Wildlife Trust at the Montrose Basin Visitor Centre in Angus.

As a nature lover already involved in wildlife protection in France, I was keen to discover a like-minded charity that was doing the same thing in another country. Therefore, after finding out about the Trust and submitting my application, I ended up in Scotland for the first time in my life. I took the train from Lyon, and after 2 days of travelling I arrived on a sunny afternoon in the lovely town of Montrose (yes I promise, it’s not always raining there!).

“Discovery” is the word I would use to describe my first week of volunteering. I was warmly welcomed by the wonderful visitor centre team, members of staff and fellow volunteers.

During my time at Montrose I helped run the centre: welcoming the visitors and helping them use the scopes and binoculars, identifying birds and advising them on walks. I also learned how to use the till, and had the opportunity to participate in some of the kids’ activities such as pond dipping and mud exploration.

On my days off, I was able to discover Angus and different places in Scotland, from Aberdeen to Edinburgh as well as Loch Ness and the West Coast. I have always loved photography and I always had my camera with me to capture the beauty in small moments. Taking photos of my daily encounters with animals and going to see the beautiful sunsets over the Basin became my daily routine.

Wildlife is such an important part of Montrose Basin, from ospreys flying over the water, to seals sunbathing on the mudflats, foxes, roe deer, and of course the famous kingfisher fishing in the pond. Every day I spent at the visitor centre was different, and full of surprises. The landscapes always change with the tides and the weather and I think that is what makes this place so magical.

But this adventure would have not been the same without the people that I met. They were so passionate, knowledgeable, kind hearted and funny; they immediately welcomed me as one of their own and it truly felt like home.

I want to thank everyone at the Scottish Wildlife Trust for giving me this opportunity and for allowing me to create unforgettable memories. I had twelve weeks of smiles, laughs, adventures, and of course birds and the seven-year-old in me, dreaming of protecting and saving wildlife, will forever be grateful for this experience. I will be back at Montrose Basin, to meet the well-known and beloved Pink-footed Geese and I am going back home knowing that I now have a Scottish family on the other side on the sea.

If you are thinking about volunteering; take the next step and say YES to adventure! For me, only good things came out of it and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made!

If you would like to spend your summer volunteering with the Scottish Wildlife Trust, please get in contact!

You can reach Peter Gilbert, our Volunteer Development Officer, via email at pgilbert@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk or head to our volunteering page to find out more.