Go above and beyond

Rathlin Island, is a wild and rugged spot off the coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland. Every spring and summer thousands of seabirds come to the cliffs to breed, including Puffins, Fulmar, Kittiwakes and Razorbills. In turn, thousands of visitors flock to witness the magic of a seabird city at rush hour.

Geraldine Anslow, Visitor Experience Manager for the RSPB nature reserve on the island knows all too well how captivating Rathlin and its wildlife are, having fallen in love with the island as a child.

She said: “When visitors come here, we say their tickets should come with a Government health warning, like cigarettes, because the place is so highly addictive.” 

And so it proved for two students looking for a summer off the beaten track. Mya Tibbs and Nick Richards had never been to Rathlin Island before and were Googling somewhere to volunteer while on their university summer break. Once Rathlin appeared on their screen, their decision was made. 

Mya said “We saw the amazing pictures and when we looked into it we thought it just looked perfect.” 

After an epic 15 hour trip from Durham via plane, three buses and a ferry the pair made it onto the island where they were greeted by the wild natural beauty and isolation they had craved.   

Mya said: “There was a couple of other houses, but no phone signal, no wi-fi, a few chickens roaming about and then just fields and fields of farmland. It felt so isolated but it was so lovely being so far away from normal life.”

To save nature, first people need to feel connected to it. Every year volunteers come to Rathlin to help visitors experience one of Northern Ireland’s most spectacular wildlife encounters. Mya and Nick were soon getting stuck in, helping out in many different ways. In the visitor centre they would greet visitors coming off the buses, work on admissions, in the shop and serve refreshments. One hundred steps away there was the viewing platform and lighthouse, where Nick and Mya joined other members of the team pointing out the different birds and answering questions.  

Mya said: “Once we were there we just learnt so much more about the island’s wildlife from everyone as they’re all so knowledgeable. You would learn something about puffins one day and then the next you’re able to share that with say 100 people and it just goes from there.” 

But some questions still managed to throw them.  

Mya said: “I was speaking to one little girl about puffins laying their eggs in little burrows and she asked me ‘do dinosaurs come out of the eggs?’ and then ‘are you sure they’re not penguins?’” 

Despite being occasionally flummoxed, the couple were settling well into island life.  

Geraldine said: “They were super. Their attitudes were so positive, and they just threw themselves into everything with so much enthusiasm. They were both rays of sunshine.”

But there was trouble ahead. During their second week, three of the other volunteers started feeling unwell and were diagnosed with Covid. Then Geraldine heard that the volunteers set to replace Nick and Mya had cancelled at the last minute. Because of its cliffside location, the reserve needs at least four members of staff to open safely and Geraldine was facing the grim reality that the reserve would have to close during its busiest time of year. But Nick and Mya weren’t about to let that happen.   

Mya said: “Nick told me they didn’t want to leave and I agreed - we could cancel our flights. We looked into it and it was only going to cost around £30 to move them two weeks, so our plan was to stay another week and then explore Northern Ireland.” 

But after their third week, Geraldine found out two more volunteers had cancelled, and Nick and Mya again stepped forward.  

Mya said: “We thought, ‘you know what, let’s just stay’. So we stayed for another week. I think I’m quite chilled in these situations, Nick likes more of a plan, but I was like, ‘we’ll just cancel our flights, we’ll not have a plan, it’ll all just work out’. And it did, it was lovely.” 

Nick added: “It was such a nice working day, it doesn’t feel like going to work, we looked forward to it because of where it was and the people there.”

In the end Nick and Mya stayed for over a month and Geraldine said by then there was a bit of a joke going round that the couple were hiding from something.

She said: “When they kept saying they could stay, a few members of the team imagined they were one the run, fugitives hiding out on Rathlin Island.

“But in all seriousness what they did for the seabird centre was exceptional. If we hadn’t have had Mya and Nick, we just wouldn’t have been able to stay open.” 

Like many people who visit Rathlin, the wildlife and landscapes made a lasting impression on Mya and Nick. The pair will be back this summer for two weeks, helping even more visitors connect with the wildlife there. But one day they want to stay for a full season, from March to September to witness every stage of life in the seabird city.   

Mya said: “They call it the Rathlin Bug. You just don’t want to leave and when you do you miss it so much you just want to go back.” 
For Nick, their time on Rathlin had a huge impact on their life.  

Nick said: “I was studying Physics and it wasn’t really what I thought it would be like, I was unsure of what I wanted to do with my career. But then I came to Rathlin and I thought ‘oh my gosh, I want to do this forever’”.  

Mya added: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Nick as happy as they were on Rathlin, it was really lovely to see.” 

Nick is now living in Bangor with Mya and is currently on a placement with the North Wales Wildlife Trust.  

The RSPB has hundreds of ways you can volunteer and take action to help save nature. Explore these pages to find your perfect opportunity. 

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