Congratulations to Izzy who was selected as one of three finalists for the Young Countryside Champion Award. Izzy appeared on the BBC’s Countryfile programme after the BBC team visited her family farm in the south of Wiltshire to film some of her work as a bird ringer. Izzy was interviewed about her other environmental projects including organising events for Young Nature Watch and photographing local wildlife.
The award was judged by Adam Henson from BBC Countryfile and Izzy was ‘very excited to be in his top 3 out of hundreds of nominations.’ Izzy was invited to the BBC Food & Farming awards ceremony at Cardiff Natural History Museum where she got to meet all of the Countryfile presenters and producers.
‘I have been interested in wildlife and nature from a very young age and my family have always encouraged my passion. I think my interest really sparked off after a trip to Skomer Island when I was 10 years old to photograph the Puffins. Ever since then I wanted to photograph anything I could find from bees and butterflies on flowers to birds coming to the garden feeder.
During lockdown, I had more time to explore my local wildlife. In between the lockdowns, I began training as a bird ringer, where you attach a uniquely numbered ring on the leg of a wild bird, and this enables individual identification. We collect all sorts of scientific data including wing length, sex, age and also fat and muscle scores in the summer. All of this data goes on to inform conservation practices and habitat management.
I do lots of work to get more young people involved in local nature and wildlife. I am a young ambassador for the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and the co-founder of Young Nature Watch, and for both of these I help to organise and lead various events, activities and walks to bring more young people with similar interests together.
In the future, after A levels, I hope to go on a gap year and travel around the globe to get more work experience in the conservation field. After that, I would love to go to university to study a Wildlife Conservation and Ecology course and see where that takes me!’
Izzy, Year 12