Communications Intern

Contract: Fixed-Term (12 months)

About the Westcountry Rivers Trust

Formed in 1994, the Trust was established to restore Westcountry rivers. Measures to protect rivers can help to save money for farmers, lower costs for water companies, boost tourism, reduce the need to dredge estuaries and even benefit human health.

Today the charity works with a wide range of stakeholders from landowners to local communities, businesses, farmers and water companies to restore and protect the rivers, lakes, estuaries and coastal areas for the benefit of people, wildlife and the local economy. There has never been a more important time to work on the rivers of the West Country as the impacts of the climate emergency and the ecological crisis are forcing society to invest in building catchment resilience.

The Trust is a grassroots organisation born from a shared love of rivers. In the early 1990s, concerned local people came together to restore Westcountry waterways, laying the foundations for the charity.

Everything the Trust does is informed by the best available science. Their work is driven by an ‘ecosystems approach,’ considering the function of the entire catchment, not just the rivers that flow within it.

This perspective and hands-on approach attracted supporters and funders and helped the rivers trust movement flourish. The Trust now has around 75 employees and an annual turnover of approximately £3m, delivering multi-year projects supported by a wide range of funders.

The Trust has three main delivery teams and a support services team. Our employees work on delivery sites, from home, and from the office.

About the role

Westcountry Rivers Trust is an environmental charity working across the Southwest to improve our rivers for the benefit of all. With support from various funders, we deliver change in our rivers and on the land that drains into them. We bring together stakeholders and interest groups in catchments across the Southwest to develop and deliver catchment action plans that bring lasting and meaningful benefits for people and the environment.

The Evidence & Engagement Team supports the Trust's whole-ecosystem approach to planning and delivering nature-based solutions for catchment management and river improvement initiatives. The team helps ensure we deliver the right measures in the right places, and monitor and report the impact of our work. Effective engagement and communication are essential to keeping stakeholders, both external and internal, informed and involved.

This role will support the Trust’s external communications, helping to gather, coordinate and produce content for our social media channels and external newsletter. Sitting within the Evidence & Engagement Team, you will work across the Trust’s teams to identify and research stories from our projects, from river restoration and natural flood management to citizen science and community engagement and turn them into engaging content for a wide range of audiences.

A key part of the role will be producing high-quality engagement visuals that convey scientific subjects effectively and concisely, using tools such as Canva and Hootsuite to create and schedule content. You will gain hands-on experience of communications in an environmental charity, working alongside experienced colleagues.

Through the content you help to create, you will also inform and inspire people to take further action for rivers: signing up to a pledge to our rivers, volunteering, or donating to support WRT’s wider work to bring our west country rivers back to life.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about the environment and communicating science, with a creative eye and a keen interest in digital and social media. This internship is an ideal opportunity to build experience and a portfolio in environmental communications.

Responsibilities

Content gathering and coordination

• Work with colleagues across the Trust to identify, research and gather stories, images and updates from our projects.
• Coordinate content for the Trust’s social media channels and external newsletter, helping to maintain a content calendar.
• Draft clear, engaging copy for social media posts and newsletter articles, tailored to different audiences.
• Encourage and inspire individuals to take further action for rivers: pledging, volunteering and donating.

Visual content and design

• Produce high-quality engagement visuals, such as graphics, infographics and short videos, which convey scientific subjects effectively and concisely.
• Use tools such as Canva and Hootsuite to create, schedule and publish content.
• Ensure content follows the Trust’s brand guidelines and tone of voice.

Monitoring and reporting

• Help monitor the performance of social media and newsletter content using analytics tools, and report on engagement.
• Maintain an organised library of images, graphics and content for future use.

Team and administration

• Work closely with colleagues in the Evidence & Engagement Team and across the Trust.
• Manage files and data in line with Evidence & Engagement Team and Trust policies, including data protection and image consent.
• Follow safeguarding, lone-working and health and safety requirements when attending sites and events.
• Complete administrative tasks required by the Trust, including timesheets, expenses and online training.
• Follow fundraising best practice and legal requirements when producing content that asks people to support the Trust.

Person specification

Knowledge and experience

• Awareness of data protection, image consent and confidentiality requirements.
• Creating content for social media, websites, newsletters or similar (paid, voluntary or through study).
• Producing visual content using tools such as Canva.
• Researching a topic and summarising it clearly for a non-specialist audience.
• Experience of using social media scheduling tools such as Hootsuite. (D)
• Interest in or knowledge of rivers, catchment management, nature-based solutions or environmental science. (D)
• Experience of charity communications or fundraising. (D)

Skills and competencies

• Excellent written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex or scientific subjects clearly and concisely.
• A creative eye for design and visual storytelling.
• Good interpersonal skills and the confidence to approach colleagues to gather content.
• Good organisational skills, with attention to detail and the ability to work to several deadlines.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office 365 and social media platforms.
• Ability to manage your workload and time effectively.
• Ability to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends to cover events.
• Willingness to work outdoors and to travel to project sites and events across the Southwest to gather content.
• Ability to travel independently to rural and remote sites, many of which are not served by public transport. This would normally mean holding a full driving licence and having access to a vehicle; we will consider other ways of meeting this requirement, including reasonable adjustments.
• Willingness to undergo an enhanced DBS check, if required.
• Familiarity with Adobe programmes, such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign or Premiere Pro. (D)
• Photography or video filming and editing skills. (D)

Qualifications

• Degree in journalism, communications, media or a related discipline, with a strong interest in the environment.

The above are Essential criteria unless indicated as Desirable (D).