We meet Mark Newton, Lederman Trainee

Emma Chaplin
, 24 January 2022
We meet Mark Newton, Lederman Trainee

Rosie Hutchings and Mark Newton are both trainees as part of the Dr Vera Dalley Lederman Scholarship and Environmental Training Programme. The Trust works in partnership with the Leysdown Conservation Trust to provide an opportunity for two individuals to gain a vast array of valuable experience and skills in the conservation/environmental field.

Keep an eye out for the monthly blogs being posted by Mark and Rosie

Tell us a bit about yourself

My name’s Mark and I’m an artist, writer and nature lover from Nottinghamshire. I’ve had a very varied career before doing this traineeship: I worked as a college librarian until I was 26, then studied model making for architecture and special effects companies, working in the industry in Stockholm, Sydney and London for a few years. Disillusioned by the environmentally toxic nature of the job, I left and studied to be an English language teacher, then did a degree in Fine Art Painting. After five years of making art and teaching English in London, I left the city and went nomadic, travelling to over 30 countries while working from my laptop (teaching English online) for half a decade. In 2020, I settled back in the UK, in Dorset, where I lived until I began this traineeship.

Why did you apply?

Since I was old enough to hold a pair of binoculars, I’ve been fascinated by the natural world. I had always wanted to work in the conservation/environment sector, but at school I didn’t achieve the grades I needed to study ecology or zoology at university, so my career path never led that way.

I applied because the traineeship will help me to overcome the financial and qualification-related obstacles that make it hard to enter the sector. It will give me the practical skills, certificates and experience that will appeal to future employers.

Page from Mark's illustrated diary 

What skills/experience/qualities do you need to be a Trainee?

Although you’re not expected to have any formal qualifications in biological or ecological sciences, you should have some knowledge of the natural world, together with a passion for learning more about it (and sharing that knowledge with others). This also applies to practical skills; you should be familiar with basic tools and have some experience of working outdoors. Regular, sustained volunteering in the conservation sector is a sure way to gain both.

What do you hope to get out of it?

It’s always been my dream to have a job working outdoors and help conserve our natural world, as well as help others learn more about their local wildlife and habitats. This traineeship will help employers in the sector see me as an asset: Someone who has the experience and practical skills (as well as certificates) to hit the ground running in roles such as a land manager/ranger, forest school leader or community engagement officer.

What have you enjoyed most so far?

It probably sounds bonkers, but I’ve loved working long hours outside in all weathers and really getting into the practical tasks. There’s something invigorating about doing physical work out on a reserve and seeing what you’ve accomplished at the end of the day. And all this accompanied by thrilling sightings of species rarely seen near urban areas.

What’s your favourite spot in Sussex and why?

I only briefly lived in Sussex (in Brighton) before I began my traineeship, so there’s still a lot for me to explore in this county. Somewhere that I’ve felt drawn to so far is Ashdown Forest, which looks a lot like the Dorset heathland and woodland where I lived for many years. I love the open heaths of gorse and bracken where birds like Yellowhammers, Stonechats and Woodlarks can be seen and heard, as well as walks in the shady woodlands where I can find fantastic fungi or spot herds of deer.

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