Water vole ©Terry Whittaker/2020VISION
Once a familiar sight along our rivers and streams, water voles have vanished from over 95% of their former range and are now at risk of disappearing completely from the lowlands of the North East. In Northumberland, they survive only in the North Pennines and a recently reintroduced population at Kielder.
Their decline is largely due to loss of habitat and predation by invasive American mink — but with your help, we can change that story. Our Restoring Ratty project at Kielder has already shown that recovery is possible. Thanks to your support we can take the next step and plan for the species’ wider comeback across the region.
You helped us hit our target and raise over £20,000!
From midday on 2nd December until midday on 9th December 2025, all donations made to our Wonderful Water Voles appeal through the Big Give Christmas Challenge were doubled, thanks to match funding from PlanAid. (and even more with GiftAid!)
Our grand total raised was £20,160 — making a massive difference to the future of water voles in Northumberland.
Your donation supports us to:
- Protect water voles – enabling the creation of a detailed plan to remove mink from Northumberland and secure safe habitats for surviving populations.
- Restore habitats – supporting the recovery of wetlands and river systems that benefit water voles and many other species, including waders and waterfowl.
- Plan reintroductions – helping identify where water voles can naturally recover and where new populations need to be established.
- Support breeding programmes – funding feasibility studies for a dedicated northern water vole breeding centre to safeguard the species’ future.