I approached the course as a geography graduate whose interest had been sparked on a university fieldtrip to Borth Bog - Cors Fochno - in Mid Wales, 2 years prior. I was a humble cafe waitress looking for something that would reignite my love for learning and help me build a career - the course has definitely put me on the right track! 

During the course, we covered peatbog ecology, GIS, funding and stakeholder communication, restoration plans, and much more. The GIS was the most challenging for me, but with the tutorials sent prior to the course and guidance in the sessions, I created my maps and eventually enjoyed picking out the erosion features on the aerial maps. Throughout the course, all of us finding different parts more challenging, you really felt that Yorkshire Peat Partnership team wanted you to do well and were there to help you do so. This was really encouraging. It meant I had more confidence to ask questions and share my understanding of peat, which allowed me to get everything I possibly could out of the course.

My favourite part was, of course, stepping out onto the bogs and seeing peat restoration in action! My creative eye loved wandering the peat and spotting the beautiful micro-ecology: the tiny luminous orange wax cap, the red and green stellate sphagnums, the sundews, caterpillars and berries. We were shown the survey specifications used in the field, on tablets, and had a go at plotting data points onto the map, getting an insight into the work of Yorkshire Peat Partnership. Seeing the efforts of the local farmers in helping support the peatlands too, through Sphagnum cultivation, was promising and really spoke of the shared mission between teams such as Yorkshire Peat Partnership, and the wider community they work with. To be outdoors and learning how surveys are done, and how communities come together to restore peatland, confirmed for me that this is what I want to do with my life - my next step.

Networking with others on the course, as well as Yorkshire Peat Partnership team, was an important part of the course. Networking professionally isn’t something I’d done before, but to be able to share a passion for peat with others was a good feeling. It grew a community in which we shared knowledge, support and opportunities. I was worried about how I’d fare being the least experienced, but I found that many people came from other conservation backgrounds, and that we were all there to learn from the ‘basics’ up. Those who had more experience came ready to learn more again, and shared their knowledge and support without hesitation. In many ways, I learnt as much from the other people on the course, as from those hosting it! Of course, Yorkshire Peat Partnership team were very supportive and made time to connect with us all personally, and share thoughts. It's good to have those connections in your back pocket after the course too! 

Since the course has finished, I've returned to Borth Bog to ID the species there, as practise, and spotted some peatland up in the Cambrian Mountains when the cottongrass caught my eye from the main road, too. I feel more confident and ambitious in myself and in my search for related work, as well as in my ability to learn and grow within the field of conservation. To see the fruits of the course even before I have found myself a peatland or conservation-based role feels so exciting! A big thank you to Yorkshire Peat Partnership team - definitely worth it!