Spurn has long been in my mind as a place to visit. Growing up in the south of England, the name would occasionally reach me when a sort of “bush telegraph”  between birders brought news of some exotic bird or other that had made its way there. For this reason, I was delighted when Rachel, who leads the “Telling Our Story” volunteer team, suggested that for my first assignment, I head there for one of the reserve's regular conservation task days.

Driving eastwards out of Hull, it felt a bit as if I was off into nowhere. Roads narrowed and villages grew further apart, until leaving Easington I could sing out “I can see the sea”, recalling another memory of my childhood, when summer holidays were always on the coast. 

Arriving at YWT’s Discovery Centre, Emma - team lead for the day - introduced me to everyone. Sam and Sammy, like Emma, are Voluntary Spurn Reserve Trainees, and Simon and Val are both long-serving Practical Conservation Volunteers. 

“We’re brush-cutting today, right down at the end of the reserve”, Emma tells me. “It’s over five kilometres away” chipped in Simon.  Immediate thoughts of having to lug the tools all that way were very quickly forgotten when I met two other essential members of the team, a pick-up truck and a utility buggy.
 

One volunteer, who was also called Simon had a love and deep knowledge of Spurn which became quickly apparent as he told me about its importance for defence during the two World Wars. Signs of this are everywhere, with nature and human activity mingling together. There are train tracks, now largely lost in the ever-shifting sands.  Concrete bunkers, gun emplacements and searchlight casements are hemmed in with brambles, buckthorn and thistles. 

Simon and Val along with a regular group of volunteers have devoted huge amounts of time and effort to the care of these mementos, digging out tonnes of sand to reveal their history and making them safer for visitors to view.

Val proved to be an absolute dab hand at all of this, rolling everything into neat bundles ready for collection. Val told me how she used to love dancing when she was younger. This was easy to imagine as she nimbly climbed up to trample down the cuttings that had been loaded into the back of the buggy. It was good to see everyone in the team checking on each other’s safety as they worked, especially as the brushcutters are heavy and kick out a lot of debris. 

Making my way up one of the myriad of paths that snake through the headland, there were butterflies and dragonflies everywhere. It was very easy to agree with Val when she said “this is much better than going to the gym!”.

We worked while watching the skies for rain, which in the end never arrived despite grey, ominous looking clouds rolling in from time to time -“This is one of the driest places in England”, Sam informed me. 

In between shifts on the brushcutters I was interested to listen to Sam and Sammy as they talked about their paths into taking up their voluntary conservation traineeships with the Trust, and what they hoped for the future. 

Sammy has a teaching qualification and has worked in a wide range of roles in the education and pastoral care of young people. She told me how she wanted to be able to work outdoors, inspiring others.  Her enthusiasm in this regard was both very obvious and infectious. Sam talked of his interest in marine life and how he had been able to spend some time with the YWT team responsible for the restoration of native oysters in the Humber estuary. He also related how, having been involved in the rescue of an injured seal, he was able to help release it back into the wild once it had recovered. Sam envisages a role in conservation education.  Both agreed that the experiences and skills they are gaining through their traineeships were both rewarding and invaluable. 
 

In return, I shared with them a bit about me and my background, and something of the idea behind the “Telling our Story” blogs. Reflecting on my time spent with the team, it is clear that there are so many stories to be told that are all the more interesting for their diversity. Afterall, everyone has a story to tell...

Later in the day, I met Clare and Rosie who both helped arrange my visit for me, and who I’d like to thank for making it all happen.  

Task day completed, we gathered together at the Discovery Centre for tea and coffee cake. Really very nice cake indeed!

And Spurn? Well, it’s an absolute gem of a place. I shall certainly be back. If you've not been to Spurn yet and would like to take part in a volunteer task day at Spurn, then why not check out our latest Practical Conservation Calendar