My name is Harry Riley and this website is my portfolio. The purpose of this website is to show future employers the useful skills and experiences I have gathered throughout my life.

Within this project, my team's goal was to convert a local water drainage ditch into a natural pond which would support local biodiversity and provide habitats for local endangered and at-risk species. The goal of our project was to meet the sustainable development goals, Life on land and Life below water. When we began our project, the drainage ditch lacked significant local wildlife and instead was filled with litter and invasive species which negatively impact biodiversity.

Plans which we made to improve this site included litter picking, removing invasive species and planting local alternatives. when creating our plan, we were required to balance researching local species and solutions with revising for our upcoming A Levels. Many challenges were faced throughout our project which included starting our project multiple weeks late compared to other groups in the sustainability challenge and struggling to obtain permission from our local council. Despite these challenges, we were able to create an effective plan which was effective enough to impress a board of reviewers who granted us £1000 to invest in the project.

Throughout the following weeks, we worked to remove litter from the drainage ditch and worked with local charities including the Cumbria Rivers Trust which allowed us to research more effective strategies to meet our goals. Alongside these charities, we removed invasive plants which were decreasing biodiversity. Overall, this made a significant difference to the local environment as species such as water scorpions and dragonflies made it their habitat.

Later, our project was given an additional investment of £1000 to put towards the goal. Eventually, my team and I aimed to ensure that the project continued despite our upcoming A Levels. To do this, our project was taken on by the Cumbria Rivers Trust who have continued to carry out our project in the future. Information about this can be found on the CforLP website.

Volunteering