Meet Aderyn

We’re delighted to welcome a second intern into our Conservation, Education and Research Team! Meet Aderyn, our Conservation Education Intern, who joined us in May to support our education delivery. In her first month, she’s already been supporting school visits with welcome talks and workshops – read below to hear more about her time so far. We are grateful to the Cameron Bespolka Trust for funding this Internship.

“Hello, my name is Aderyn, and this spring I had the pleasure of starting at the Hawk Conservancy Trust as the Conservation Education Intern! I have been working with children for 10 years now – all starting with running an afterschool club at a local first school as part of my Bronze Arts Award project! I then continued my work experience in a first school at 14, specifically as an assistant for Years 2 and 3. More recently I have been working as an education volunteer for the Wessex Rivers Trust; attending assemblies and events.

However, I also have a passion for science and nature and last year I achieved my BSc (Hons) Environmental Science from the University of Plymouth. My focuses were on environmental chemistry, specifically emerging contaminants, and biological conservation. After finishing my degree, I knew I wanted a job that was rooted in science, but I was unsure which direction to go with it. I was lucky enough to find this internship which combined my two interests perfectly and provided me with the opportunity to explore different aspects of my career such as education, conservation research, non-government organisations/charity work, animal care and management, marketing and branding, and so much more! It’s been such a pleasure working daily with school children again!

My first month at the Trust has been filled with school workshops, events planning, and assisting with bird flying! My highlights have been holding the chatty Burrowing Owls, feeding Angola the Secretary Bird, assisting with school visits (especially showing children different types of feathers!), and creating a new accessible sensory experience for SEND children. I’ve been lucky enough to hold a Barn Swallow nestling whilst it was being ringed too!

I’m excited to continue leading different aspects of school visits and developing activities for our Dream Night, Big Wild Weekend, and International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) events. I look forward to further developing my skills and knowledge with the lovely Hawk Conservancy Trust Team!”