{"id":2984,"date":"2023-12-01T12:51:15","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T12:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/?p=2984"},"modified":"2024-09-03T09:51:41","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T08:51:41","slug":"unique-job-welsh-island-warden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/unique-job-welsh-island-warden\/","title":{"rendered":"A Welsh island warden oversees the cycle of life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<header class=\"entry-header bg-adp-tan block--article-header alignfull block--article-header\" >\n\n  \n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full entry--image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925162817-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2985\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925162817-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925162817-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925162817-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925162817-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925162817-1600x1200.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925162817-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925162817-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group entry--title-wrapper\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"entry--social-share\">\n  <ul>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/unique-job-welsh-island-warden\/&#038;t=A Welsh island warden oversees the cycle of life\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/themes\/rethink-quarterly\/img\/facebook.svg\" alt=\"Facebook logo - click to share this article on Facebook\"><\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=A Welsh island warden oversees the cycle of life&#038;url=https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/unique-job-welsh-island-warden\/\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/themes\/rethink-quarterly\/img\/twitter.svg\" alt=\"Twitter logo - click to share this article on Twitter\"><\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Frethinkq.adp.com%2Funique-job-welsh-island-warden%2F\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/themes\/rethink-quarterly\/img\/linkedin.svg\" alt=\"LinkedIn logo - click to share this article on Facebook\"><\/a><\/li>\n  <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n            <a class=\"entry--tag tag-style\" href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/extraordinary-jobs\/\">Extraordinary jobs<\/a>\n\n        \n  <h1 class=\"entry-title\">A Welsh island warden oversees the cycle of life<\/h1>\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-summary-style\">The island of Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel has a population of one \u2014 Simon Parker, who took up the wardenship in March 2023.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n  <div class=\"entry--meta content-width\">\n           <p class=\"authors\">By\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/author\/chloe-thrussell\/\">Chloe Thrussell<\/a>\n\n             \n         \n     <\/p>\n    \n  \n  <p>1 December 2023  <span class=\"desktop-only\">\u2014<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/issue-10-trust\/\">Issue 10: Trust<\/a> \n  <\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\n<\/header><!-- .entry-header -->\n\t<div class=\"entry-content content-width\">\n\n\n\n<p>Exposed to the elements and enveloped by seagulls: The image conjured up by an island caretaker is a lonely one. But that\u2019s not the way Simon Parker, warden of Flat Holm, sees it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think it\u2019s more a comfortable feeling of being alone,\u201d Parker says. \u201cIf you can crack that one, then you\u2019re already onto a winner. I\u2019m quite happy with my own company.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Originally from Grimsby, England, the 38-year-old Parker spent most of his career as an military aircraft engineer but became interested in conservation after volunteering with wildlife trusts across the country. After a few years of volunteering, he found paid work in the field.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As warden, his role is to oversee conservation of the local flora and fauna, and to manage the island\u2019s infrastructure, making sure the heating and power work in the island\u2019s few buildings, monitoring for storm damage and keeping everything secure.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this he hasn\u2019t been entirely alone: Parker oversaw a busy 2023 season with conservation volunteers \u2014 including one to five volunteer wardens at any given time \u2014 plus day-tripping tourists and longer-term guests. These have included artists making sound pieces in a 19th-century gun pit, campers doing astrology and members of a yoga retreat performing ecstatic dance on the beach at 6 a.m.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The island means different things to different people: for some it\u2019s about tourism, for others conservation, and still others would like to use it for film sets and retreats. Although conservation is his main priority, Parker must balance all these other interests.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEvery day is totally different,\u201d Parker says. \u201cYesterday we were fixing the plumbing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A historic beacon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Welsh island of Flat Holm lies 4 miles south of Cardiff in the Bristol Channel. Although open to all (as long as you pay a \u00a35 landing fee), island access is determined by the channel\u2019s tidal range, which can vary by 14 meters per day. At less than half a mile in diameter, Flat Holm includes the most southerly point in Wales as well as its most southerly pub \u2014 The Gull &amp; Leak, where Parker also serves as landlord.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925153418-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2986\" style=\"width:450px;height:undefinedpx\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925153418-scaled.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925153418-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925153418-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925153418-1600x2133.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925153418-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925153418-1536x2048.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Occupied since at least the Bronze Age, Flat Holm\u2019s shores are marked by remnants of its long history. Once home to monks and farmers \u2014 and frequented by smugglers \u2014 the island\u2019s position en route to the ports of Cardiff and Bristol called for a lighthouse to prevent shipwrecks, which were particularly prevalent on the nearby rock islets known as The Wolves. The current lighthouse dates from 1737.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1897, the island was the site of the first wireless communication over open sea, with the message \u201cAre you ready?\u201d transmitted in Morse code to Lavernock on the Welsh mainland.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A foghorn station and foghorn keeper\u2019s cottage were added in 1906; the foghorn is now silent, but the cottage can be rented as holiday accommodation. A former barracks now contains a museum, gift shop, and the pub. There\u2019s also a farmstead, where Parker lives, and where groups visiting the island can stay. The ruins of a former cholera hospital and four 19th-century batteries are scattered around the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conservation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>But most of the island belongs to nature; its flora and fauna is so unique it was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1972. In spring and summer, Flat Holm is home to a colony of seagulls \u2014 mostly lesser black-backed gulls, but also herring gulls and great black-backed gulls. Part of Parker\u2019s job is to track their numbers. It\u2019s not exactly Hitchcock\u2019s \u201cThe Birds,\u201d but during breeding time it can feel a bit like it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c[Gulls] are amazing animals,\u201d Parker says. \u201cWhen they come back, they will aim for the exact spot every time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But year-on-year their numbers are dwindling. In 2023, Parker and his volunteers recorded just 1,400 pairs of lesser black-backed gulls in their annual gull ringing survey, compared to close to 3,000 in previous years. The reason is food scarcity; crustaceans are disappearing from the channel, and landfills, gulls\u2019 second-best choice for finding food, are closing. Unfortunately, there\u2019s not a lot Parker can do to help.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a privilege seeing the gulls go through the cycle of life and death,\u201d he says. \u201cA lot of the chicks don\u2019t make it, and a lot of the adults don\u2019t make it. Nature can be pretty brutal. But I think that it\u2019s a privilege seeing it all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flat Holm is also home to an abundance of rabbits, a flock of wild sheep and a monitored population of slow worms, as well as rare plants like rock sea-lavender and wild leek, one of only five places in the U.K. where this latter plant grows.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In summer 2023, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecsa.ngo\/working-groups\/bioblitz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BioBlitz<\/a> event with 12 experts \u2014 including a mycologist, botanist and lepidopterist \u2014 uncovered a Dermestes undulatus beetle on Flat Holm that was last seen on the mainland in 2020.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBecause this beetle lives and thrives in the carcasses of dead sea birds, we had to go around the island and shake out these rotting carcasses to find them,\u201d Parker recalls. It\u2019s a tough job, but someone\u2019s got to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Becoming an island caretaker<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Parker had previously served as a volunteer on Flat Holm and found out about the caretaker job through a previous warden. \u201cI was looking for a way into something more rewarding after Covid \u2014 I think a lot of people were having these kinds of thoughts, interrogating their life choices,\u201d he says. He realized he wanted to do something that resonated more with different parts of his personality: an appreciation for the wilderness and roughing it, and a love of facing new challenges.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The list of jobs on Flat Holm is endless, he says, and hard work features prominently: tree felling, bush cutting and scrub clearing. He makes a point of rotating the volunteers so no one person does too much heavy lifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925132310-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2987\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925132310-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925132310-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925132310-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925132310-1600x1200.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925132310-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925132310-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Flat Holm was without a warden over the 2022-23 winter season, which meant Parker\u2019s training involved a lot of learning on the job. To ease the transition, he drew on his prior knowledge as a volunteer, and advice from a former warden and past volunteers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd my engineering knowledge has been really useful for fixing things,\u201d he adds. \u201cThere\u2019s always stuff breaking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, going from engineering to conservation has been quite a career shift. He enjoyed the camaraderie and technical aspects of military aviation, but he loves the freedom and flexibility of working on Flat Holm. He has regular meetings with the mainland, where he receives targets he must meet, but he\u2019s effectively his own boss \u2014 and it\u2019s up to him to figure out how to keep everything running.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf I can make something work with a broom handle and a bit of gaffer tape, that\u2019s fine. It wouldn\u2019t be fine when you\u2019re working on aircrafts,\u201d he explains. \u201cA lot of creativity has come back.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The job<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The wardenship of Flat Holm is a permanent position and pays about \u00a324,000 annually. Parker doesn\u2019t have any bills \u2014 he only pays for food \u2014 and gets time off-island every four or five weeks. Since Flat Holm doesn\u2019t have a landfill, they try to recycle as much as possible, and Parker takes the trash to the mainland once per month.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Holiday time is planned around island events, which means having more time off in the winter, when heating becomes more complicated. Already in September, Parker was collecting driftwood on the beach to stockpile as firewood.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s interesting because a lot of my friends might say, \u2018Oh, you probably want to go to some city and balance out being there,\u2019\u201d Parker says. \u201cBut actually, I can\u2019t think of anything worse. I just want to go to another remote island, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What does he miss most besides friends and family? \u201cRunning in a straight line.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading is-style-default\">Sustainability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of Parker\u2019s conservation work includes cleaning up the trash that washes ashore from the Bristol Channel. Every month, Parker and the volunteers do a beach clean, and they log what they find so they can keep companies informed about what ends up in the sea. \u201cIt can be very depressing,\u201d Parker says. \u201cIt\u2019s the usual: lots and lots of plastic. Dog toys are a big one as we\u2019re so close to the mainland.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The island waste challenges have made Parker rethink his own consumption habits. At the heart of being the island\u2019s caretaker is adopting a simpler and more conscious way of living. \u201cYou\u2019re thinking, \u2018Before I buy this thing, what do I actually need it for? And what am I going to do with it when I don&#8217;t need it anymore?\u2019\u201d Parker explains. \u201cWe need a more circular way of working through the economy rather than consume, discard, consume, discard. It\u2019s way too wasteful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He\u2019s realized it\u2019s easy to get caught up in pursuing new things \u2014 a new job, new car, new house \u2014 without stopping to consider whether it\u2019s really beneficial.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTaking all of that away gives you headspace to reconsider those things, and then maybe focus on something that you actually want,\u201d he adds. \u201cWe are on this track of possible self destruction, and maybe we need to refocus and think more about how we\u2019re living as a whole, not just as individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Flat Holm, Parker tries not to let the work consume him \u2014 neverending as it may be \u2014 and feeds his inner child by exploring new hobbies. He is learning to play the ukulele and encourages volunteers to take up new activities. Some have started doing watercolors and wood carving.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Isolated though he may be at times, Parker doesn\u2019t plan to return to the mainland anytime soon. Six months in, he feels like he\u2019s just getting started, but already the work is paying off: \u201cIt is already a lot better now than when I got here. So I think if that continues, then I\u2019m quite happy here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925160432-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2988\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925160432-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925160432-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925160432-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925160432-1600x1200.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925160432-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/IMG20230925160432-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"block--author\">      <div class=\"block-author__inner\">\n        <div class=\"author--image\">\n                      <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/author\/chloe-thrussell\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/chloe-thrussell-298x305.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n                  <\/div>\n        <div class=\"author--info\">\n                      <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/author\/chloe-thrussell\/\" class=\"author--name\">Chloe Thrussell<\/a>\n\n          \n          <p>Chloe Thrussell is an editor and writer based in Brighton, UK. Alongside being assistant editor of the ReThink Quarterly, she has written for publications including The Telegraph and Culture Trip, and curated film programs for London Short Film Festival and Gold on Film.<\/p>\n          <div class=\"block--author-social\"><ul class=\"author--socials\"><\/ul><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n       <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block--recommended-content alignwide is-style-bg-adp-tan\"><div class=\"block-recommended-content__inner\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Read more<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"block--article-pushpoint pushpoint__small\">      <div class=\"block-article-pushpoint__inner\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/unique-jobs-ninja\/\">\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--image\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/K2202215-web-1084x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--info\">\n                    <span class=\"pushpoint--title\">A full-time ninja carries on ancient traditions<\/span>\n          <p>Kunoichi \u2014 female ninjas \u2014 have played a special role in the history of Japan, and exist to this day.\n<\/p>        <\/div>\n      <\/a><\/div> <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block--article-pushpoint pushpoint__small\">      <div class=\"block-article-pushpoint__inner\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/unique-job-commercial-diver\/\">\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--image\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/06_June-1084x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--info\">\n                    <span class=\"pushpoint--title\">A commercial diver navigates the deep<\/span>\n          <p>About 3,700 people in Australia are certified to work as commercial divers, one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. \n<\/p>        <\/div>\n      <\/a><\/div> <\/div>\n\n<div class=\"block--article-pushpoint pushpoint__small\">      <div class=\"block-article-pushpoint__inner\">\n        <a href=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/unique-job-dmz-gift-shop-worker\/\">\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--image\">\n          <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/rethinkq.adp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/dmz26-1084x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        <div class=\"pushpoint--info\">\n                    <span class=\"pushpoint--title\">The DMZ gift shop worker<\/span>\n          <p>Tourists visiting the border between South Korea and North Korea want souvenirs, and Wanbae Lee supplies them.<\/p>        <\/div>\n      <\/a><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-group alignfull section--sign-up has-background\" style=\"background-color:#7967ae\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center is-style-default has-white-color has-text-color has-large-font-size\"><a href=\"\/sign-up\/\">Sign up<\/a> to keep up to date with ReThink Q.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The island of Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel has a population of one \u2014 Simon Parker, who took up the wardenship in March 2023. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":2985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[424,421,422,265,144,423],"coauthors":[317],"class_list":["post-2984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-extraordinary-jobs","tag-great-britain","tag-island-caretaker","tag-nature","tag-one-of-a-kind-jobs","tag-unique-jobs","tag-wales","issue-issue-10-trust"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.5 - 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