Some of our incredible team of volunteers who cover the pupping season each winter at Donna Nook attended the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust headquarters at Banovallum House on Thursday 27 July to receive their award in a virtual presentation ceremony. They were joined by Trust board and staff members including wardens Matt Blissett and Ruth Taylor, who are just gearing up for the grey seal season ahead. The first pups are typically born in the last week of October.

Craig Bennett, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said of the annual Marsh Volunteer Awards: “These awards show how thankful we are for the volunteers' efforts to protect the marine environment.”

Andy Humberstone, who has been a volunteer at Donna Nook since the 1970s and attended the awards ceremony, emphasised: “No matter who you are or how long you’ve been volunteering, we’re all part of a team.”

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust Chief Executive Paul Learoyd underlined the amazing dedication shown every year: “I’m going to start by asking you a question. Where were you on Christmas Day last year? Some of our volunteers would have been on a very exposed North Sea beach looking after the seals and visitors to Donna Nook.”

“Since the 1970s, volunteers have supported the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust at Donna Nook come rain or shine.”

Another Donna Nook volunteer, Gerry Baldwin, pointed out how rewarding the role can be, however tough at times: “Seeing people’s faces when they see the seals for the first time – when they expected to see them far away and there’s a seal pup looking at them just a few feet away – makes it all worthwhile.”

Anita Quigley, Chair of Trustees, said: "Congratulations to Matt, Ruth and the team for receiving this very well-deserved award. Hearing from some of the older volunteers who had been helping at Donna Nook, some for 50 years, is a useful reminder that we are a grass-roots organisation at heart.  Although we now have an excellent team of professionals running the organisation, in the beginning the Trusts were set up by groups of very dedicated, hard-working enthusiasts who also had day jobs!  We wouldn’t be where we are today without their efforts."

Find out more about the Donna Nook volunteer warden group and the other inspiring award winners for 2023... 

Volunteer awards 

Donna Nook seal colony volunteer group - Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust 

Donna Nook is a National Nature Reserve along the Lincolnshire coastline and is home to Europe’s most accessible large rookery of grey seals with an estimated 7,500 seals in the colony. Every winter the colony comes to shore to give birth with over 2,200 pups born in 2022. To help manage the growing pressures of increasing visitors, volunteers have been wardens of the site since the 1970s.  

From Grimsby day trippers to international photographers, people from all walks of life come here to gaze on the spectacular sights of seals and their pups. In 2022, over 50,000 people visited the site. These seals must be some of the most photographed mammals in the word. 

Between October 2022 and January 2023, 68 volunteers offered a total of 2,278 hours of their time to the site – whatever the weather. As wardens their role is to minimise disturbance to the seals and their pups by keeping all visitors at a safe distance. This sometimes required dealing with rogue photographers. Over the years volunteers have inspired visitors, guided school groups, given first aid, gathered thousands of signatures for The Wildlife Trusts campaigns, and fundraised to ensure that new volunteers can receive training. 

Their outstanding work ensures that Donna Nook continues to be one of the best sites to see seals in the UK. 

Charlotte Cumming - Cornwall Wildlife Trust: 

Charlotte first joined as a volunteer for Cornwall Wildlife Trust on a Shoresearch survey back in 2017. Since that first survey she has become obsessed with rock pooling and marine recording, developing an unrivalled skill in rockpool photography. Charlotte’s photography highlights the beauty and diversity of Cornwall’s marine life, and she has an incredible eye for colour, detail, composition, and rarity. 

What makes Charlotte stand out even more is that she lives in Hertfordshire and makes the epic 300-mile journey down to Cornwall for EVERY Shoresearch survey!  And it’s not just her dedication to Shoresearch that makes Charlotte one-of-a-kind. She also volunteers with ERCIS (The Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly) and since starting in 2020 has single-handedly validated all the Cornish marine life records, which amounts to over 3600 records! On top of this Charlotte has submitted over 300 of her own records (without including those she has contributed during Shoresearch surveys).  

Youth volunteer awards 

Josh Symes- Cornwall Wildlife Trust 

Josh Symes was the volunteer coordinator for Shoresearch in 2019 and he held this role for three years until summer 2022.  

During this time he played an instrumental role developing the Shoresearch project in Cornwall. Josh was closely involved in the development and testing of the Shoresearch Data portal and app with The Wildlife Trusts. Josh also helped to develop intertidal fish surveys with Natural England and The Environment Agency. Since stepping back from the role to finish his degree and go travelling, Josh has continued to be a valuable member of the Shoresearch volunteer team. Josh’s skill in engagement and education, and his boundless energy and enthusiasm, have inspired countless new volunteers and members of the public who learned so much from him about the UK's amazing marine life.  

Josh has similarly made a great contribution to local marine conservation through his underwater photography and his excellent social media skills. He created many short films during lockdown and has appeared on TV on several occasions. You wouldn’t be surprised if Josh appeared on a future instalment of Blue Planet!

Arun Curson- Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust 

Arun is and has been the youngest marine champion for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. His passion for learning about the marine environment spurred him on to start volunteering at the age of 9 on intertidal surveys and later become a marine champion for the Secrets of the Solent project.  

Arun takes his surveying very seriously, researching the species of the shore and has since become a top identifier helping others with their ID.  He was on BBC Countryfile last year with the project Secrets of the Solent and, even when he was stuck at home ill with Covid, Arun spoke about his passion for marine conservation with John Craven. 

Arun’s volunteering doesn’t stop on the shores, his ambition to learn about the marine environment has led him to sort data with some of the more experienced volunteers to grow his skills. Arun has helped develop and write online training sessions for new volunteers, working with the team to ensure their content is engaging for a younger audience.  

Arun is always on hand to help create content and provide feedback from a young person’s point of view and his responses are enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and always honest. He’ll leap at  any opportunity to get involved in conservation.