On the last day of December 2022 my husband and I came to live on Ynys Mon . We had been members of Yorkshire wildlife trust for many years ,having demanding full-time jobs we didn’t have time to participate in any volunteering though we did visit the Yorkshire wildlife trust sites whenever possible. The summer before moving we changed our membership to North Wales wildlife and through the leaflet enclosed in the magazine we went on our first organised beach clean and really enjoyed it. We talked to members of the Shoresearch team present including Dawn and were told about the have a go sessions. We went to the first one and that was the beginning ,we were hooked.
As a family we had always loved beach combing ,rock pooling ,and poking about in seaweed with a lot of enthusiasm but not a lot of knowledge apart from the basics. Being out on shore with Dawn and the team of volunteers was wonderful as it gave us the opportunity to expand our knowledge as well as being helpful to National Resources Wales by data gathering . We participate in quadrats ,walk over and timed surveys and are encouraged to engage in our own surveys. We have learned to identify and record INNS and meet the public, enabling us to pass on knowledge gained and hopefully encourage new members to the Shoresearch team. Being part of Shoresearch is a wonderful way to meet new people, I knew no one when I came to live here. Being outside in the fresh air , sometimes very fresh , does wonders for my mental and physical health. It is a way to constantly improve my knowledge of the environment I now live in.
