Purnell helps WDC train the conservationists of the future

After a 2 year break due to Covid restrictions, we have been delighted to relaunch our Residential Volunteer Programme in Scotland again this summer.

We welcomed Alex, Hannah, Maddie and Michael plus two new volunteers - Jamie and Ailish - who will take part in a new 7 week placement with us in the Autumn, made possible through the generous support of our partner and luxury watch maker, Purnell.

Over the summer the team have been doing a fantastic job of engaging with thousands of visitors at the Scottish Dolphin Centre, telling them all about the local bottlenose dolphins and the work of WDC. They have been leading ‘bones box talks’, showing children fascinating whale and dolphin skulls, teeth and bones, and running events such as a kids’ photography workshop and a Dolphin Disturbance day. The volunteers also regularly collect and input citizen science data for our Shorewatch programme, and visit sites to support WDC’s Policy coordinators.

WDC’s Head of Partnerships, Abbie Cheesman, said: “We are so grateful to have been able to run the residential volunteer programme again this year thanks to the support of the team at Purnell, who share our aim of providing opportunities for young people to become the conservationists of the future. We know the programme has an amazing impact on the young people who take part, building their skills and confidence, and also gives them a fantastic platform to start their careers in conservation. In fact, past residential volunteers can now be found all around the world protecting dolphins – both here at WDC and in other leading conservation organisations – and we have high hopes that this year’s volunteers will continue this wonderful legacy thanks to Purnell’s generosity”.

To find out more about what being a residential volunteer involves, you can read about Michael’s adventures with WDC in this blog, or register your interest in our 2023 programme by emailing [email protected]