Being a Volunteer at Hopetoun House
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By Lucy Bowman
My name is Lucy, I am 26 years old and working as a graduate ecological consultant whilst in the last semester of my bachelors degree in Ecology and Conservation Management. My career path has been somewhat unconventional as I left high school and completed an Illustration degree at DJCAD, in Dundee. I was an artist for many years but I had always felt as though I was never on the right path in life. Throughout school I did not have much confidence in my abilities or intellect and due to personal circumstances, my grades were not as they could have been. I have always had a deep love and connection to the earth and nature around me so as I went through my degree the voice in my head became stronger that I was not doing what I was truly meant to do.
Finally, during lockdown from Covid-19 I plucked up the courage to pursue the path of an Ecologist and I never looked back. I wanted to take myself back to the basics and work my way up from the bottom and do everything I could to succeed. This is where my first experience as a volunteer at Hopetoun House was introduced to my story and where I met their Head Ranger, Emma. I had taken a year to save up as much money as I could to go back to college and get the necessary qualifications that would allow me into an undergraduate course and I had heard that going into this field was tough, so volunteer experience was vital.
Hopetoun House volunteer scheme provides a space where people of all ages, backgrounds and experiences can come together and work outside to help the Countryside Ranger maintain the grounds of the estate and the local wildlife. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try some outdoor working experience and get exposure in the conservation industry to see how I would like it. Emma took me under her wing when I became a volunteer. She works closely with each person that comes through the door and encourages a beautiful sense of community with likeminded people.
Working as a volunteer gave me my first experiences in handling outdoor tools such as saws, shears and drills as well as the chance to learn and apply plant ID in the form of surveys and horticulture practices. I was given the opportunity to lead talks with the public on tree and fungi species growing on the estate and was kindly given the chance to apply for their seasonal ranger role and get a mock interview to prepare me for the industry when the time came. Being a volunteer made me feel as though I was making a difference as well as accelerating my career forward by learning necessary skills that I could transfer into other roles in future. The employees at Hopetoun are passionate about what they do and the nature that surrounds them so they go above and beyond to help someone like me also flourish in that environment.
It allowed me to hone in my passions and guided me down the paths that were most suited for me. The time I spent there was priceless and helped me get further opportunities during my undergraduate degree such as a paid role in land maintenance and management, a volunteer role for a research project, an internship with the Scottish International Environment Centre and a work placement with Forest Research which all would not have been possible without the experience I gained from Hopetoun House, skills I will continue to use throughout the rest of my career.
I will always treasure my time as a volunteer there and the lifelong friendships I gained. Once you become a volunteer, you will always be welcomed back and I hope that others get just as much out of it as I did. I have gained a deeper passion for what I do and my goal is to give back to nature and help it as much as it has helped me.
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