In June, Somerset Member of Youth Parliament James Lawson spent his work experience placement with the Somerset Wildlife Trust. Here’s how his first three days went. 

I was lucky enough to be given a work experience placement by the Somerset Wildlife Trust. Here is how my first 3 days went. 

My first day consisted of an office tour, a walk around Longrun Meadow, a Nature Connections session and banner making. Despite the busy schedule, the day was a great success! 

The office tour was extremely interesting, and the walk around Longrun Meadow helped us learn how to use the apps iNaturalist and Merlin. When we returned, the Nature Connection group were having warm beverages, surrounded by the beautiful apple and birch trees. After a friendly chat, we used iNaturalist to identify most of the species in the garden, which counted as one of our #30DaysWild challenge activities, that runs from the 1st to the 30th of June. Click the hashtag above for more information about the challenge. 

After the group finished, we made banners and I wrote about my first day.

On day 2, we travelled to East Polden nature reserve where a group of volunteers were meeting to help remove Himalayan Balsam. The Himalayan Balsam had to be removed because it is an invasive species that can outcompete and eradicate native plants from an area. This means volunteers need to remove it, especially in a reserve where native species thrive. Removing the plant was easy, but walking through the dense foliage was difficult. 

I really enjoyed the day, my favourite part was exploring the woodland, and meeting the passionate volunteers. However, one volunteer found a Himalayan Balsam plant that was growing roots from the stem, despite being uprooted, which shows the desperate need for landowners to manage the plant responsibly before it overcrowds the native population.

On day 3, we drove to Highbridge, to meet with a minibeast identification group, that were planning to survey a field for bugs. The purpose of the search was to show the nearby housing developers that the field was a valuable space that should remain wild. We found various animals, ranging from Pardosa Amentata (otherwise known as the wolf spider) to Lissotriton Vulgaris (smooth newt). 

It is amazing how many species are in one sample of water!  

After lunch, we walked into the dunes at Berrow and took part in some pond dipping, which was great fun and very informative.

James

Somerset Youth Parliament campaigns

Each Member of Youth Parliament works on a campaign during their term, which is supported by their Deputies and the Advisory Group. It allows us to understand what changes young people want to see in the communities they live in and makes sure that those views are heard by Somerset’s decision makers.

James’ campaign is ‘Young People and the Fragile Environment’ where he hopes to increase awareness about environmental challenges and help to promote the protection of our natural spaces. 

To find out more about James’ campaign and the campaigns of our other Somerset Member of Youth Parliament’s campaigns visit our Campaigns page.