But they needn’t have worried. It wasn’t the results of a zombie apocalypse or a laboratory experiment gone wrong; it was runner Sophie Bulgin in training for this year’s Great North Run and turning a few heads along the way.
Giant badger spotted at Rothbury
Visitors to the iconic Rothbury estate did a double take this week when they spotted a king-sized badger heading towards them.
Running badger, AKA Sophie Bulgin. Image by TWT.
Sophie, Rothbury Project Manager with the Wildlife Trust is running in the heavy, furry suit to raise funds for the Saving Rothbury Estate for People and Wildlife Appeal.
As part of her training she is heading for the hills of Rothbury to get acclimatized to being weighted down, waving at passersby along the way.
Sophie Bulgin says:
“I normally run in shorts and a T shirt so to be running over the summer in what feels like fifty fur lined onesies is different to anything I’ve ever done before. On the day of the Great North Run I won’t hear a word people are saying so I’m hoping they’ll cheer extra loud when they see me.
“I’m relatively new to the Rothbury area and have been amazed at how calm and connected I feel when I am there, taking the pace off day-to-day life.
“The Estate holds a host hold of treasures that I am slowly discovering from frog orchids to spring-fed petrifying mires. I am truly blown away by what is there and by the potential it holds.
“I feel so privileged to be able to visit this magical place as often as I do and I am very excited to see the people, flora and fauna that visit in the future and, I am quite frankly in awe of the teams at The Wildlife Trust and Northumberland Wildlife Trust and their ability to forge relationships and enable people to act for nature."
Anybody wishing to donate to see the Rothbury badger heading over the Tyne Bridge towards South Shields can do so at Northumberland Wildlife Trust: Running for Rothbury
In October last year, The Wildlife Trusts purchased the Simonside section of the Rothbury Estate in partnership with Northumberland Wildlife Trust and launched a £30 million appeal to secure the entire estate - for nature and the nation.
The charities agreed a two-phase purchase agreement over two years, with ongoing fundraising efforts of all sizes hoping to raise enough funding to complete the second phase of purchase.