Water vole © Russell Savory
Wildlife charity dreaming of a vole new world
This December, Northumberland Wildlife Trust is calling on members of the public to help with the creation of a vole new world via The Big Give Christmas Challenge.
The Big Give is the UK's number online match funding platform, specialising in bringing charities, philanthropists, and the public together to multiply their impact. Since 2008, £369,451,364 has been raised for over 20,338 charity projects.
This year, charity’s Christmas appeal will be raising funds to help plan the future of the region’s water voles. - one of the UK’s most shy and secretive little mammals.
Between midday on Tuesday 2nd December and Tuesday 9th December any donation made to the Big Give Christmas Appeal will be doubled thanks to a generous Northumberland Wildlife Trust donor and PlanAid. One donation, double the impact. To make a donation visit Wonderful Water voles – Big Give.
Water voles have vanished from over 95% of their former UK range, with only a few populations remaining in Northumberland, including the North Pennines and a recently reintroduced population in Kielder. Their decline is the result of habitat loss and being preyed upon by invasive American mink.
Over the seven days, the Trust aims to raise £20,000 which will offer conservationists a real chance to reverse the fortunes and secure the future of the iconic mammal, famously brought to life as ‘Ratty’ in Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows.
Water vole © Russell Savory
Such conservation work will include the creation of a detailed plan to remove mink from Northumberland and secure safe habitats for surviving populations, supporting the recovery of wetlands and river systems that benefit water voles, helping to identify where water voles can naturally recover and where new populations need to be established and supporting breeding programmes to safeguard the species’ future.
Graham Holyoak, Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Nature Recovery Manager says:
“We’re working tirelessly to restore this charismatic little creature to its rightful place along our riverbanks. By supporting our Big Give Christmas Appeal, anybody donating will be helping to protect yet another threatened species in our countryside.”
To make a donation between midday on Tuesday 2nd December and Tuesday 9th December visit Wonderful Water voles – Big Give.