This month I have continued working from home. Although I’m getting used to the routine and enjoy having my canine office buddy around, I definitely miss seeing my colleagues and getting out to sites and engagement activities. I’m looking forward to getting more stuck in once restrictions start to relax.
I am still delivering our online Wildlife Gardening Workshops and this month I ran my first workshop for a primary school group. This was a lot of fun as these talks are much more interactive and involve more activities and games. Although I felt a little nervous I quickly relaxed into it as the group were very involved and keen. I have now chosen to take on Wildlife Gardening Workshops as my personal engagement project because I have really enjoyed these sessions. This means I am now responsible for booking and planning sessions, and meeting targets, and I like having this responsibility. I also have some scope to try out some new ideas and develop the activity which I am really looking forward to.
This month I also gave my first staff meeting presentation. I chose to discuss how reptiles and amphibians, which are typically viewed as warm-climate species, are able to survive in cold climates. I researched some of our impressive native species, such as Common Frogs which speed up development in high altitudes in order to cope with shorter breeding seasons, allowing them to successfully breed at the top of Scottish mountains. I also researched some of the species that can survive in extreme climates around the world, including the Arctic. Species such as Wood Frogs, Garter Snakes and Siberian Newts are incredible, able to survive freezing through complex physiological responses. I enjoyed the opportunity to research something that I found so interesting, and share this learning with the wider team.
This month there have also been opportunities to attend morale-boosting activities with colleagues from across the organisation. I took part in weekly stretching sessions provided by Froglife which were very beneficial during this period of working from home, without the usual outdoor activity and movement. This attention to staff well-being is one of the reasons I really enjoy working for Froglife and creates a really positive work environment, despite being stuck at home.