Tristan Woods - Volunteer

"I started volunteering here after coming to the Reserve for a walk with my family. I saw notices around the place saying the Trust needed volunteers, so I gave it a go. I started off just picking litter - I was too small and too young to operate any of the machinery then! I found myself having a pretty good time and just kept coming.

I've been volunteering here for seven years on-and-off now; the last year I've been working constantly at Cilgerran and living in, though I've worked at other sites for the Trust, too.

I love working outdoors, even when it's raining I hate being inside. I've had other jobs and being indoors just drove me mad. There's wildlife all around you here; I'm taking part in a bat observation programme at the moment and not only do I get to see bats, I'm also seeing otters all the time. Watching the young playing in the river in the early morning is just an excellent experience. How many people get to see that in an office?

I've been able to do so many things here that wouldn't have been possible without volunteering. I'm about to take my chainsaw and tractor-driving certificates, but I'm not worried about taking them at all because I've got the training and experience through volunteering. I recently got my brushcutter's certificate - I'm the youngest person in Wales to have been awarded it. My ambition is to set up my own landscape gardening business - I've already taken on some contract work - all this experience is going towards that.

If anyone out there is thinking of volunteering in environmental or conservation work then they should just go for it. When you volunteer you get into a community of interest and experience, and you learn so much from other people who have different ways of approaching things. Working in a team in the sun - or the rain - in a place like Cilgerran, it's just wonderful."