Hello my name is Jessica and I'm a marketing student at the University of Portsmouth! I've recently started volunteering for the Trust as a Wilder Communications Champion. What's my story and what does it mean to me to be a Wilder Communications Champion? 

I moved to Portsmouth in the summer of 2020 to study digital marketing. Within a few days of moving in, I had explored my immediate area and was disappointed to discover the closest park to my house was small, busy, and a 30-minute walk away.

Having grown up in Surrey, I always had large parks and forests nearby, so I immediately felt claustrophobic by the lack of nature in my new city surroundings. As a teenager I started to use nature to nurture my mental health and have since felt solace whenever I do so. When I spend time in nature, whether that be in a garden, park, field, forest, or beach, I feel strongly connected both to myself and to the planet. I feel able to process my thoughts and feelings in a way I cannot do in the confines of the city. Unable to find this type of solace in my new neighbourhood, I went online to search for nature-rich areas nearby, which led me to discover some of the beautiful nature reserves that the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust look after. When I first moved to Portsmouth, I hadn’t started uni yet, which allowed me to go to the beach or a nature reserve every day, so I spent a lot of time outside!  

One of my favourite Wildlife Trust reserves is Farlington Marshes, a 120-heactare natural oasis. Here the land meets the water and there's an array of habitats in the harbour, lake, fields, and bushes. Additionally, a variety of wildlife inhabit this area, including many different species of birds.

My first memories of Farlington Marshes consist of long hot days, sunsets, birds chirping, water glistening, and an overwhelming feeling of tranquillity. I would often take a book and a packed lunch and spend the entire day either reading, meditating, or bird watching. In those summer days I would always see redstarts roaming around, with their bright orange-red tails glowing in the sun, and their songs provided a natural soundtrack to the blissful environment. Moving to a new city can be difficult - it can make you feel lonely and anxious. But for me, having the luxury of spending so much quality time in nature made the transition a lot easier. That quality time allowed me to ease my anxiety and loneliness. It’s hard to feel either of those emotions when surrounded by an abundance of wildlife and picturesque scenery. 

Since mother nature has significantly helped me, I’d like to give something back. If it weren’t for all the work the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and their volunteers do, I wouldn’t have had such a beautiful experience, and I wouldn’t have the opportunity to continue to live and share those experiences with loved ones. I am forever grateful to the trust, their volunteers, and mother nature herself. To express my gratitude, and to make a difference, I have signed up to be a Wilder Communications Champion at the Trust. I will be using my writing not only to spread awareness of the crises our planet faces, but to share with you the extraordinary actions that people are doing and making a difference. As a digital generation, we tend to devalue nature in favour for technology, however, I’d like to use the platform to reignite people’s passion for the wilderness and wildlife.