Lesley Duncanson's volunteering story

I used my 2 days at once while the Council Tax system was down for end of year so this fitted in with the needs of my team. I chose Watchtree as last year I took part in their free Couch to 5k programme and it really benefited me and gave me a love for running so I wanted to give something back to them.

On the first day I was outside and made a fence with another volunteer. This was to stop children (or anyone else!) heading into an area where there was a pond – see photo. We collected the sticks, stripped them back and then wove them into place. It was lovely to spend a day outside working with others, I really enjoyed it.

On the second day I was in the café, generally helping out behind the counter, clearing tables and doing some pot washing at the end of the day. They were a bit short staffed and it was a busy day as it was a very sunny day for February! It was nice talking to the other girls working there and all the coffee I drank that day was free!

I would happily use my days at Watchtree again same time next year and I hope I am able to.

Find out more on the Watchtree Nature Reserve website.