“Volunteering at the farm during lockdown was a literal breath of fresh air and the highlight of my week”.
We are very lucky to have fabulous volunteers at the Farm who help with everything from looking after our animals, to taking care of our woodland and working with our young people.
Our volunteers choose to help out at the Farm for a variety of different reasons. Some want to learn new skills, meet more people in their community, or gain work experience. Others simply believe in the work we do and want to lend a hand.
We are incredibly grateful to all of our volunteers for the time they give up for the Farm, but the last 18 months haven’t made it easy for our volunteers to continue the invaluable work they do. For Sereen, a volunteer with our animal care team, her experience has been a memorable one, that we hope has put her in good stead for a career in veterinary science.
Here’s Sereen’s story:
Over seven months I completed a volunteering placement with the Amelia Trust Farm, focusing on animal care.
As a prospective student of veterinary medicine, it was an amazing opportunity to work closely with a huge variety of different species in a wonderful environment. The Farm is a sanctuary providing homes for lots of different types of animals; they work with various charities including the donkey sanctuary as well as farming communities and schools.
During my time at the sanctuary I learnt about the daily duties required to properly care for the 25+ species that call the sanctuary home. I worked with the animal care supervisors, Hannah and Beth, who were always full of energy, enthusiasm and knowledge about animal care. Having the opportunity to observe their daily duties and the care they gave to each and every animal there was an absolute treat.
I was lucky enough to help out with one pony’s birthday celebrations, observe the preparations for the arrival of an African leopard tortoise and three baby goats named Snap, Crackle and Pop, who stole everyone’s hearts.
My time at the farm didn’t come without its challenges: the stress of lockdown and different periods of isolation meant it wasn’t always possible for me attend my volunteering sessions but the team were always understanding and welcomed me back when I was able to resume volunteering.
I got to know the animals there and see the love and care they receive as well as the valuable alternative education provision the farm provides to so many young people. I learnt about the different types of care needed for different animals, including farm and exotics as well as the maintenance of their environment.
The variety of animals that the sanctuary looks after meant there was always something that needed doing, from fixing flood damage in the chicken coups to helping with the grooming of the ponies and donkeys.
Volunteering at the farm during lockdown was a literal breath of fresh air and the highlight of my week: arriving at the farm in the morning, I always took a moment to embrace the fresh country air, enjoy the stillness of the surroundings and say hello to the staff who work around the farm.
I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at the Amelia Trust Farm and would recommend it to anyone looking to gain work experience in an animal related field or just wanting a fun day out.
The work the Amelia Trust Farm does to provide such a high standard of animal welfare and husbandry has been eye opening and I have learnt so much during my time here. I hope in the future to continue to support this amazing charity in their work. Thank you for having me.
Sereen Kutubi
People like Sereen allow us to continue our work at the Farm and are a huge part of our unique community. We were delighted to have Sereen with us, and we wish her all the best for the future!
If you’re interested in finding out more about our volunteering opportunities, we have loads of different roles available and we’d love to hear from you!
