Hi, my name is Luke Wray I am a 21 year old from Harrogate. My motivation to take part in this project was to gain experience working in the environment and with animals, to give me practical skills and knowledge before I go to college.

I worked 5 days a week at the Aruba donkey sanctuary. On a daily basis we would carry out the morning and afternoon feeds, interact and provide information to visitors, this included giving speeches to up to 60 people! My main role was environmental management, this comprised of ground clearance of poisonous invasive plants and of dead cacti, alongside caring for and cleaning up after the donkeys. On a Wednesday morning I worked at a local dog groomers, the staff all spoke Spanish and limited English, so was a perfect oppurtunity for me to learn some Spanish and work on my communication skills. This was a great experience as I love dogs, and it has taught me skills how to better care for my own dogs.

In our spare time we were always making the most of being in the Caribbean, exploring the beaches and snorkelling whenever we could.

I have learnt a lot of practical skills, such as knowledge and methods of ground clearance, basic carpentry and metalwork, and how to repair and construct tools with limited resources. I have also developed a more positive approach to achieving goals.

From this experience I have gained confidence in myself and my abilities, by learning new skills and using them alongside my initiative to achieve goals to the best of my ability.