Mary Hon - Trainee placement

We were delighted to welcome Mary to the Access to Eden team earlier this year. Mary joins us as part of our ‘Skills for a greener future’ programme funded via our Access to Eden project which is providing trainee placement opportunities helping four young people to take their first steps into an environmental career. We asked Mary to write a few words for us to let people know about her experience with us in the first two months of a six month trainee placement.

Thrown in at the deep end!

The traineeship started off with our Supporters Day, which gave me a good insight into the Access to Eden project and was a great opportunity to get to know our ERT volunteers and supporters. The INNS week followed, which allowed me to learn more about Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS). This got me geared up for the following 6 months of engaging with the community about acting against invasives across the Eden Catchment.

A summer of sun and showers

It’s been a busy and rewarding summer out at honeypot sites around the Lake District, delivering roadshows to engage recreational lake users and local community. Trying to raise awareness on invasive species in and around the lakes, and to encourage best practice of the "Check, Clean, Dry" campaign. 

Going into major events in Ullswater, it was fantastic to see people recognised us or mentioning they’d heard about the campaign in elsewhere. It really showed that the message is getting out there! Hopefully, more and more people will become INNS aware and help to "Stop the Spread".

Invasive non-native species or INNS for short

If you’ve ever done Himalayan Balsam bashing, you’ll know it’s surprisingly addictive! Swiping down the Eden catchment with work parties, it is satisfying to see the transition from carpets of Himalayan Balsam covering the site, to having to hunt for the hidden ones under vegetation. It is also nice to hear volunteers find it rewarding to see their hard work pay off over the years, seeing varieties of flowers and plants showing in areas bashed!

This is me pictured with the results of just one day's balsam bashing piled high! 

There is more to invasives control than pulling and bashing. Through my traineeship, I completed pesticide training courses, including spraying near water and stem injection. I was able to put these new skills into practise, helping our INNS Officer to treat Japanese Knotweed along the Eden catchment.

Trees please

From starting out not knowing my trees or what to expect, to being able to lead Tree Nursery sessions and run a Tree Trail walk connecting the Cold Springs Nature Reserve and the Eden Community Tree Nursery — it’s been quite a journey! This experience of contributing and leading tree nursery sessions gave me the chance to develop my tree identification and tree planting skills. It has also been rewarding to see the structure routine of the Tree Nursery transformed over time. 

Water Voles - Or...the cute engineers of the river catchment

One of the absolute highlights was assisting in the coordination of the water vole release day. It was an incredible opportunity to learn more about nature recovery through species reintroduction in the Eden Catchment while seeing these lovely and charming little engineers in person.

I've learned so much!

Looking back, I really appreciate the opportunities this traineeship has given me — stepping into and exploring the conservation sector. I’ve learned so much about acting against invasives, native species, habitat management, and more. It is great to have my hands on the ground with the unpredictable Cumbria weather - alongside developing my communication and engagement skills through working with communities, volunteers, and stakeholders.

It is such a rewarding experience working with the ERT team and contributing towards the Access to Eden project. It has truly been a six month of growth and discovery. I’m excited to see where this journey leads next - and follow the flow!

Mary

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