HWDT Welcomes new Media and Communications Officer

HWDT is delighted to announce a new addition to their team! Lauren Macmillan will be taking over as Media and Communications Officer at HWDT from Morven Russell whilst she is on maternity leave for the next 12 months.

Lauren has recently graduated with an MSc in International Relations, and has been placed with HWDT through the Charityworks Graduate Scheme, which seeks to develop leadership talent in the non-profit sector by placing 140 graduates into around 80-100 charity placements across the UK.

“I was really excited to start my placement at HWDT and become part of the wider Charityworks scheme – I’ve always wanted to work for a charity but I hadn’t thought this was possible outside of volunteering. The HWDT team have been so welcoming and encouraging and I’m learning so much every day. It really is a pleasure to wake up and look forward to going to work!”

— Lauren Macmillan, Media and Communications Officer

Now is a really exciting time to be working in HWDT’s Media department, with the recent launch of our new website and our brand new Whale Track app, free to download on smartphones. The Whale Track app can be used by anyone to report and view sightings of whale and dolphins in the Hebrides, and helps us better understand these remarkable creatures.

HWDT will be working in collaboration with Charityworks and a network of other charities involved in the scheme. As part of her placement, Lauren will be attending workshops, conferences, and mentoring sessions to widen her understanding of key issues affecting conservation, and develop essential skills, knowledge and networks for a career in the non-profit sector. Lauren will also be contributing independent research pieces through the scheme to develop and support HWDT operations.

“ After spending the past four years living in London and then Bristol, it has been quite a culture shock moving to the Isle of Mull, but an overwhelmingly positive one. Not only is the landscape breathtakingly beautiful, but there is a real sense of community belonging which is impossible to experience in a city. It is fantastic to be able to complete a placement where you not only get to live in such a stunning location, but get to work with a charity that works tirelessly towards the conservation of the precious marine wildlife here on the west coast of Scotland.”

— Lauren Macmillan, Media and Communications Officer

If you are interested in becoming part of the Charityworks Graduate Scheme, applications for Autumn 2018 are open until 28th February 2018.

For more about the HWDT team visit the staff profiles.