A Typical Volunteer's Day: Donna Wilkinson

Donna shares her day at the Discovery Centre 

  

9:45 am

I arrive at Clumber Park and en-route to the Discovery Centre I chat with fellow volunteers from different teams within the park.  It's great to have a catch up and find out what's happening elsewhere around Clumber.

Donna Wilkinson, Discovery Centre Volunteer 

9:55 am

After checking out the information board in the mess room for an update I pop my head round the office doors to say hello to staff members.  Eyes glued to the monitor, fingers clicking away at the keyboard and a buzz of activity from the telephones and radios, but this does not deter the team from sparing their time.  There's no demarcation between staff and volunteer.  I'm always made to feel welcome and a valued member of the Clumber team.

Another volunteer also arrives and it's great to see either a familiar face or someone I haven't seen for a while.

10:00 am

As the gates to Clumber Park officially open, so do the doors to the Discovery Centre and visitors begin to trickle in.  Together we two volunteers not only meet and greet visitors, but share our passion for nature.  Often there is a group of children to interact with.  What will we find in the tank?  Can we spot all of the animals in the trees?  Which animal or plant will surprise us most under the microscope? The children convey their interest by telling stories of animals back home, be they family pets or wild animals.

It's not children alone, but the adults are also enthusiastic to talk.  It's wonderful to hear about sightings and experiences from around the country, indeed from the four corners of the globe.  Only the other week a family from France was teaching me the French names for the animals.  And today, a couple speaks of the number of years they have been visiting Clumber.  They go on to express their sadness at the loss of animals they would have normally encountered on their daily walks in their own locality.  This is what makes volunteering at Clumber Park so special: it's real-life.  It's talking with people face-to-face about things which have meaning to them and which exudes human emotion.

11:45 am

The conversation does not always centre on nature.  Frequently, there is a divergence to other shared commonalities.  Life in general really and, of course, a touch of good old British weather mixed in!  Interactions also take place outside the entrance to the Discovery Centre where family members wait with pet dogs.  Today is no exception and in the sunshine I speak to a mother awaiting her husband and three children who are exploring the centre.  We talk of pets, children, school and Angola - her native African country.  I love learning about all walks of life.

12:30 pm

A family who visited the Discovery Centre in the morning returns to tell me they discovered a beetle outside in the park.  The whole family then becomes engrossed in the library searching for an image in an attempt to name the beetle.  The final piece in the jigsaw is the two children recording its name - June bug (Cockchafer) - in the wildlife diary.

13:45 pm

It's a late lunch today.  I must have lost track of time when helping preparing resources with a member of staff.  The mess room is quiet today, but sometimes it's a hive of activity with the general natter from volunteers and staff.  A good laugh overall.

14:15 pm

My enthusiasm for the animals in the tank is fostered when a visiting mother and child have a similar interest.  Together we experience our first ever sight of hydra and mum points out to me the small froglets on the water's surface.  How had I neglected to spot them when I arrived?  Many of the older visitors reminisce about catching stickleback and raising frogs from frogspawn, thus providing an insight into different times when it felt much more natural to interact with the great outdoors.

Two adults pop their heads round the door, 'Can we come in?'.  I take the couple for a guided tour of the centre to show that it's not just intended for children.  An hour later and the same couple are still exploring and discovering.

15:30 pm

Another familiar face pops into the Discovery Centre: a volunteer from another area of the park.  We talk briefly about the newly formed Clumber Volunteer Forum of which we're both members.  Both the National Trust and Clumber Park seem to provide lots of opportunities to help the volunteer develop their existing skills and learn new ones.

16:00 pm

It’s time for a coffee break whilst there's a quiet lull.  Mmm, lemon cake which one of the other volunteers brought me back from the cafe earlier.  We're certainly a good bunch who knows how to look after one another!

17:00 pm

Groups of visitors have now disappeared so it's time to close the doors to the Discovery Centre.  As I shut down the power to the displays I ponder that the day has flown by which demonstrates, yet again, that this is a wonderful location to give my time to.