Eleanor fundraises all the way to the HebridesResourceful Eleanor King, 25, from Bristol, joins the Earthwatch expedition Whales and Dolphins of the Hebrides this month - thanks to her own efforts raising money to pay for the trip.

Eleanor, who decided she wanted to join an Earthwatch expedition after reading a feature about volunteering in the Guardian newspaper, has already raised £275 - almost half the cost of the expedition. She is making use of the Earthwatch fundraising pack which contains advice and ideas for volunteers about how they can raise money to join an expedition through fundraising events and sponsorship. Eleanor also has her own page on justgiving.com, where her friends and family have made donations, and she is planning to hold a car boot sale and auction items on ebay to reach her £600 goal. She is also going to make a dolphin costume from recycled and household materials and bravely walk around Bristol with an Earthwatch donations bucket!

The enthusiastic Earthwatch volunteer, who recently left her job in the mental health sector, wants to be a wildlife photographer and has already had her photographs exhibited at Bristol Zoo, where she volunteers. The Whales and Dolphins of the Hebrides expedition appealed to her because not only will she be contributing to important whale and dolphin research, but she will be able to put her photographic skills to good use as she captures images of these marine mammals for individual identification.

On her JustGiving page, Eleanor says, "In September, I'm off to join an Earthwatch crew in the Hebrides in Scotland to survey cetaceans including harbour porpoises, bottlenose dolphins and beaked whales. These waters support around 24 species of cetaceans and countless seals, seabirds and other ocean life. The three species mentioned above are national and international conservation priorities. I will be contributing to help produce vital scientific research which will observe the distribution of cetaceans throughout the waters of western Scotland to determine their use of habitat and to identify particular areas of importance or "hotspots" for conservation. All money raised will go to this important charity, and I can't tell you how much your support means. Thank you."

• If you would like to make a donation to support Eleanor's fundraising efforts, visit her justgiving page.
• To help raise money for Earthwatch or for your expedition you can set up your own online fundraising page at www.justgiving.com/earthwatch. The Earthwatch fundraising pack will shortly be posted on the Earthwatch website. In the meantime, if you would like to obtain a pack to find out how you can raise money for your Earthwatch expedition, call +44 (0)1865 318831.