Birdworld staff have swapped Surrey for South Africa for a conservation mission.

Mandy Glass, conservation education team lead at Birdworld in Farnham, flew to Cape Town for a two-week volunteering placement with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).

Home to one of the UK’s largest colonies of critically endangered African penguins, Birdworld has long championed the foundation’s conservation message. The charity’s three core values - rescue, rehabilitate and educate - focus primarily on the survival of the African penguin.

During her two-week visit, Ms Glass worked directly with SANCCOB’s education department in Cape Town, joining visits to local schools to assist with wildlife lessons, leading tours of the rehabilitation centre to raise vital funds, helping at public outreach events to recruit new volunteers and assisting with the rescue of injured birds.

She also ran an exchange of educational resources, including activities, games and information materials, to be used at both centres.

Among the school visits was a trip to Robinvale High School, where SANCCOB teachers Gary and Khaya led Year 9 and 11 students through lessons on seabirds, pollution and practical steps they can take to help, including avoiding single-use plastics to recycling.

Students also signed pledges to act at home and were introduced to George, a taxidermy African penguin used to illustrate everything from the birds’ streamlined shape to how their feathers can be devastated by an oil spill.

Ms Glass also accompanied a group from Parow Inclusive School on a tour of the SANCCOB centre and a bird-spotting visit to Table Mountain Nature Reserve, where the children learned about climate change, habitat loss and the importance of wetland habitats and the species found there.

“I felt proud to be part of a bigger picture of conservation and happy that I could help out in whatever way I could,” said Ms Glass.

“I felt confident that we are supporting the right organisation and that we can continue a really positive relationship with them in the future.”

One of the most memorable moments of Ms Glass’s stay was attending the release of nine African penguins at Boulder’s Beach, where the successfully rehabilitated birds were returned to the wild.

Ms Glass said: “What struck me most was how aligned our values are - like two sides of the same coin. SANCCOB is out there on the beaches rescuing birds, lobbying governments to change laws and working with local schools.

“Here at Birdworld, we provide a back-up plan through a genetically healthy captive population, raise awareness in the UK about the species’ status and show people how they can help from afar - whether by changing their habits or donating financially.”

Conservation has been at the heart of Birdworld’s mission since the Birdworld Conservation Fund was established in 2008, raising more than £90,000 to date for initiatives protecting birdlife in the UK and across the world.

Alongside active involvement in captive breeding programmes, the park works to preserve habitats, engage communities and inspire the next generation of conservationists, with education central to everything it does.

James Robson, general manager at Birdworld, said: “We’re incredibly proud of Mandy and have loved following her journey with SANCCOB. The work they do on the ground is vital, and it’s been brilliant to see first-hand the positive impact that dedicated conservation efforts can have on endangered species like the African penguin.

“Our penguin colonies here at Birdworld are firm favourites with visitors, so there’s a real connection for us in supporting this kind of work. It’s an important mission, and one we’re committed to playing a small part in year after year.”

Mr Robson added: “Following Mandy’s visit, we hope to continue building on this relationship, with plans to send a member of the Birdworld team to SANCCOB in the future to support their work and learn from their frontline conservation efforts.

“With a clearer understanding of what’s most needed, we would also look to develop a more targeted exchange of resources as part of future visits.”