Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group
Newsletter
Winter 2012
P&DRSG eagerly await delivery of new arrivals ?
Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group is expecting triplets this April - in the form of three new Red Squirrel Rangers if all goes well! 2012 is set therefore to be the most exciting year ever in our long history and could see the fulfilment of
our dream to have Rangers in post in all of our five main areas of operation.
From the latest ‘scan’, the most promising prospect is the Greystoke ‘baby’ as it is within the Lakeland stronghold
reserve and should be funded by the English Woodland grant scheme via our wonderfully supportive landowners pooling
their applications through us/RSNE to provide coordinated cover rather than each working in isolation.
The group is now actively seeking to raise funds from the public, landowners and businesses in
the areas local to the rangers projects as a massive £12,500 is required to release the SITA
funding plus £9,000 to fund the first three months of the project, as SITA make their payments
quarterly in arrears. See inside for ways you can help us achieve this.
Photo - Sarah McNeil
The two other ‘babies’ are less well developed but the seed has been sown, via an application One very pregnant red
for three years funding to the SITA Trust Enriching Nature programme for rangers to cover squirrel, not sure if it’s
the Upper Eden Valley and the Ullswater area. Both of these large areas fall outside of triplets though….
the Lakeland reserve/buffer and are therefore unable to receive EWG aid but the result of
securing them for red squirrels will not only dramatically reduce grey squirrel incursion into
the strongholds but also establish a protected connection between the existing Lakeland
stronghold and the Yorkshire Dales stronghold thereby allowing free movement and gene pool
diversity amongst the two red squirrel populations. Our aim is to demonstrate that these
areas should in fact be incorporated into the reserve and stronghold network. The SITA board
will make a decision by the end of February - fingers crossed!
RSNE are delighted to announce the safe arrival of theirs
Photo - Mark Davies
It all came together for RSNE in November/December with the safe arrival of funding from
Natural England, the Forestry Commission, Biffaward and Hertitage Lottery Fund grants to firmly
establish the project and confirm that RSNE is now very much alive and kicking.
No time was wasted and 7 appointments were made so that in addition to Nick Mason, Project
Manager we now have a Conservation Officer (to manage the ranger team), two Red Squirrel
Officers (Simon O'Hare retains his role based in Cumbria), a Research Officer (to collate the
squirrel records/data), an Engaging Communities Officer (Northumberland), a Community
Support Officer (Christine Westerback retains a position in Northumberland) as does Jamie
Stewart as Red Squirrel Ranger (North Tyne valley). The majority of staff will be based at a new
site in Stocksfield, Northumberland.
Thanks
to our
Sponsor
This Spring will see the recruitment of 5 new Red Squirrel Rangers of which two will be based in
Cumbria, one in the Whinlatter area and the other north of Carlisle towards the Kielder
reserve. In addition to this there will also be grey control contractors employed at strategic
sites across the north of England. P&DRSG are major partners in the project, wholeheartedly
endorse it and wish everyone involved the very best of luck.
A huge thank you to Center Parcs who generously continue
to sponsor the cost of printing our newsletters
Center Parcs support for red squirrel conservation goes beyond mere commercialism.
Their long term commitment to the cause is nationally recognised and here locally we
did likewise by appointing them as our very first Corporate Sponsor ‘Patron’.
Coffee Morning Thank You
Jill Eastham kindly organised a fund raising Coffee Morning for us on 17th September at Penrith
Library. The weather was atrocious and it certainly affected the number of shoppers but those who
made it were impressed not only by the wonderful selection of cakes but also by the displays of
landscape photography and cards, jewellery and children's gifts, pretty bags and beadwork.
The Winners of the children’s 'Draw a Red Squirrel' competition were:
1st: Alisha Eastham (pictured right), 2nd; Elisa Liptrot
Our thanks go of course to Jill and also to Jan King - for helping with refreshments,
Gail Eastham, Jackie Cummings & Sue White of GSJ Designs and Sarah Cowen of Pretty Bags and
Beadwork for their craft stalls.
Grand Red Raffle
In September, the draw for our ‘Grand Red Raffle’ took place at
the annual Squirrel Fest held at Brockhole, the Lake District
National Park Visitors Centre.
Drawn by Nick Mason (on right),
Project Manager for Red Squirrels
Northern England.
Sarah & Friend
To most it’s just a dream to get so close to a red squirrel in the
wild but in Sarah McNeil they know a friend when they see one.
We are delighted to have raised
such a large amount and are very
grateful to those who generously
sponsored the prizes and of course
the volunteers who sold tickets.
Photo - Jerry Moss
The raffle was a great success and
raised a grand total of £2,318.00
with £240.00 going to the other
Red Squirrel Groups who took part.
Squirrel Fest 2011
Squirrel Fest was held on Sunday 18th September, once again at the
Brockhole Visitors Centre, Windermere courtesy of the Lake District
National Park Authority and organised by Jackie Foott of Northern Red
Squirrels. Most of the Red squirrel Groups of Cumbria were in attendance,
some with stalls and all to hear the latest local and national ‘squirrel news’
from Nick Mason of Red Squirrels Northern England and others.
This event brought the volunteers and all involved in red squirrel
conservation together to keep up to date, socialise, compare notes and enjoy
the live entertainment provided by ‘Blue Jam’.
We were delighted that our stall was visited by so many members and friends
like Avril and Brian Chadwick seen here merrily filling our collecting box.
‘Invasive Species’ Kayak Expedition
P&DRSG volunteer Dave Welch is planning, with three others, to undertake a sponsored Kayak expedition along the river
Eden from Appleby to Wetheral to highlight the threat posed by invasive species. The two day trip will cover 38 miles and
has been re-scheduled to start on Saturday 17th March with an overnight stop at either Langwathby or Lazonby. The
whole of the beautiful river Eden is a red squirrel stronghold but any river corridor is also an
incursion route for grey squirrels and this expedition will not only raise public awareness for
the squirrel cause but will also be used to publicise the Check-Clean-Dry campaign on how
other non native species, killer shrimp, floating Pennywort etc. can be spread by river users.
Dave will need help in raising funds via sponsorship forms and encouragement on route - the
bridges at Langwathby, Lazonby, Armathwaite and Wetheral come to mind - Please help
Dave can be contacted on Tel: 07772 884690 or Email: [email protected]
Daystate Air Rifles Sign Up For Sponsorship Deal
From left - Tony Belas and Jerry Moss
About two years ago, following discussions between our Red Squirrel
Ranger Jerry Moss and Daystate’s Sales Director Tony Belas, Daystate
produced a limited edition pre-charged pneumatic air rifle called the
Red Ranger. Now they have come up trumps again with a brand new
and even more exclusive rifle called the Grey Shadow. A limited edition
of 150, each rifle comes with a one year membership to Penrith and
District Red Squirrel Group paid for by their corporate sponsorship.
This has generated a very
welcome £1,800 for the
group and is a great boost
to the funds.
Not content with that, they are looking at ways to sponsor a day in our
area for Grey Shadow owners with our volunteers to learn more about
our red squirrels. In addition to that, they have also commissioned a
short film by Giles Barry highlighting the part air rifles can play in red
squirrel conservation in association with air rifles. If you have 10 minutes
to spare take a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYthyC8uZ9o&feature=youtu.be
A big thank you to Tony and all at Daystate for their continued support .
For more information contact: www.daystate.com
We are regularly asked to give talks about red squirrels, and how we are helping
them, to schools, village groups and other organisations. For example Emma Tapp,
one of our volunteers, recently visited Crosby Ravensworth School and an
excellent article about her visit can be found on their website
www.crosbyravensworth.cumbria.sch.uk Now thanks to a very generous donation
by the John S Lewis Foundation we have a state of the art projector, laptop and
screen which will enable us to give a more polished and informative presentation.
Photo - Sarah McNeil
The John Spedan Lewis Foundation Fund Talks Equipment
Due to the number of requests being received we need volunteers to present the
talks, full training in use of the equipment will be provided, please call Richard at
the Birds Bistro or email (P&DRSG) if you can spare a little time to help.
Willow Squirrel - Next in succession to Charles
Kirsty Kenny of Brampton Red Squirrel Group has designed a beautiful
new life sized red squirrel sculpture, 'Willow' made in cold-cast copper.
Kirsty says: "I don't know if you heard about 'Charles' which I made last
year (I presented No.1 of the edition to HRH Prince Charles at Hutton
in the Forest)? Well, after selling quite a few of those, I then sculpted
'Willow' to be either one of a pair with Charles or a piece in her own
right. She is now ready for sale in a limited edition of 150”.
Willow can be bought through the Birds’ Bistro, Penruddock or contact
Kirsty directly by e-mail:
[email protected].
Willow costs
£130.00*
£5 from each sale goes to
Red Squirrel conservation.
(* Plus £10 P&P - if required)
A few ‘Charles’ are still available at
£125, though not the one on the
right which was a birthday gift from
Great Aunt Sarah for our youngest
member Brooklyn Hale.
Wear the Badge with Pride - A Challenge
The neat and very attractive P&DRSG pin badges have proved very
popular with members and friends, particularly since HRH The Prince of
Wales was pictured wearing his in our last newsletter.
Here’s a picture of Matt Baker having one pinned on by Sarah McNeil
when she renewed her acquaintance with him recently at the World
Sheep Dog Trials and it gave us an idea. The Challenge now to you all is
to get your own photo of a celebrity wearing the badge. Take the
opportunity to present them with yours and we’ll gladly replace it.
Badges are available from the Birds’ Bistro to all at the princely sum of £1
Tony Kendal
Tony Kendal, one of our most enthusiastic, conscientious and prolific grey control volunteers died at the end of January
after a short confinement. Tony lived in Aiketgate and covered the Armathwaite area for us and was a tremendous
support to our Red Squirrel Ranger John Lisle, he was a natural conservationist and willingly took on projects whether
it be for birds, wildlife or his beloved red squirrels. We were all shocked to hear the news as it only seemed like
yesterday that he was saying how much he was enjoying his voluntary work and how convinced he was that we were
winning! We and red squirrels everywhere have lost a dear friend, who will be sorely missed.
Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group
Area of Operation
Approx 600 Square Miles
Thanks to Mel Hodgson of Cliburn for creating and organising the autumn 'Squirrel Quiz'
and congratulations to Mrs L D Rogerson of Calthwaite who won it.
Squirrel Records Summary
It is essential to red squirrel conservation that everybody involved provides records of their activities so that
government bodies, plus those who fund our work, have evidence based data to prove how successful (or not) our
methods are and whether or not that funding continues. Filling in forms is an imposition on volunteers but ours are
rising to the challenge and we now have ‘history’ to make useful comparisons. - see table below.
We became much more organised and covered more ground during 2011 which has resulted in a 60% increase in grey
kills, a 75% increase in red sighting and a very welcome 50% drop in pox cases. Congratulations to all concerned.
2011
Red
Sightings
Grey
Sightings
Grey
Kills
No.
Pox
Cases
GREYSTOKE
RS
GS
GK
POX
+contract work in Sebergham
24
23
21
1
Well done to those dealing
with the increase in greys
15
16
5
3
14
4
5
70
18
68
128
99
114
4
4
Mainly Volunteers
Caldbeck
74
26
37
Dalston
15
70
70
3
22
10
Hutton
198
79
134
1
Area Total
290
197
251
2
Greystoke Forest
2010
Comments
1
ULLSWATER
Incs. contract work at Hutton
in the Forest & Middlescaugh
Volunteers only
Haweswater
120
NR
19
NR = None Recorded
NR
NR
8
Shap
144
0
0
A peaceful oasis ?
NR
NR
7
Ullswater north
121
166
174
+ contract work at Dalemain
33
42
76
Ullswater south
73
88
101
Another significant increase
26
32
39
Area Total
458
254
294
Well done to ALL volunteers
59
74
130
4
132
77
100
10
47
25
43
1
134
14
51
1
90
27
24
2
403
143
218
14
43
23
18
252
65
66
7
295
88
84
7
247
23
76
1
NORTHERN
EDEN VALLEY
John Lisle - Ranger
& Volunteers
Armathwaite
181
199
179
Kirkoswald
98
39
82
Lazonby
243
21
78
Melmerby
52
15
36
Area Total
574
274
375
3
6
9
WHINFELL
Expanded to include Wreay
Includes data from dedicated
red monitoring volunteer
Major increase in grey
numbers dealt with
Jerry Moss - Ranger
Penrith
27
21
9
Whinfell Area
392
67
98
1
Area Total
419
88
107
1
UPPER EDEN
VALLEY
Includes Whinfell Forest data
for the first time
Gary Murphy – Ranger
& Volunteers
Appleby
254
22
58
Kirkby Stephen
188
36
144
118
39
138
Tebay
34
30
109
12
14
70
Area Total
476
88
311
2
377
76
284
1
2217
901
1338
14
1262
480
830
30
GRAND TOTAL
2
Consistent good work
How to turn your £10 Donation into £100+
Photo - Sarah McNeil
Not a magic trick but a real possibility. If our application to the SITA trust is successful (see front page story) we will need
to put up £12,500 to release over £114,000 of funding. That means that every £10 you give to us would become £100.12
and if you gift aid your £10 then it would become a staggering £121.44!
To put that another way, if we can raise the £12,500 then we get two rangers for 3 years, covering the whole Upper Eden
Valley and Ullswater, making a huge impact on our effectiveness. Who would have thought that there was a real possibility
of the whole of our patch being covered by dedicated squirrel rangers (ably supported by our amazing volunteers).
We are at this historic point thanks to the determination of our volunteers and because supporters like you have been
willing, even in these difficult economic times, to delve deeply into your pockets to help us fund our vital work. Never
before have we been able to make so much of your money though, so please help us to ensure we don’t miss out on this
fantastic opportunity. There are numerous ways to support us - Re-new or become a member, become a major or
corporate sponsor, organise your own fund raising event or simply make a ‘one off’ donation - Please
Obviously it is not certain that we will get the SITA money however please be re-assured that any funds raised from this
appeal will simply be used to continue our vital red squirrel conservation work - in those areas.
FundAid
Ways You Can Help P&DRSG
In the last issue we reported on the fundraising
being undertaken free of charge by John Turner at
FundAid (www.fundaid.net), a local company raising
funds for charities across the UK and the world.
In addition to just giving us money - You can help us by:-
We have all been amazed at the success of John’s
campaign which, so far, has raised nearly £27,000.
We are not only delighted with this amazing result
but also that John has agreed to continue his
fundraising efforts for us throughout 2012.
Perennial Supporters
Thank you to our regular sponsors who provide
products and services to the group - Free of Charge!
H & H Reeds Printers for generously providing all
of our leaflets - www.hhreedsprinters.co.uk
Cumbria Open for Business (Dave Gaskell) for
creating, supporting and updating our website
www.cumbriaopenforbusiness.co.uk
The Brantwood Country Hotel for sponsoring
our monthly meetings www.brantwoodhotel.co.uk
Please support and use them whenever possible.
 Volunteering for grey control in your local area
 Volunteering to check traps
 Volunteering to monitor squirrel numbers
 Promptly reporting sightings of grey squirrels to
group contacts – list on last page
 Promptly report sightings of sickly red squirrels
 Reporting grey kills by you or others in or outside
of this group, with date, location etc.
 Recruiting new members and corporate sponsors
 Promoting the view that red squirrel conservation
is predominantly about grey squirrel control
 Organising a fund raising event – coffee mornings,
garden open days, selling quiz or raffle tickets etc.
 Report/ensure any dead reds are sent for analysis
 Host or find hosts for our charity collection boxes
 Raise awareness locally – schools, organisations,
parish councils / magazines etc. & talks to groups
Thank you - Lowther Driving Trials & Country Fair
An unexpected and rather magnificent £12,000 donation has been received recently, here’s an extract from the letter we
received from Robert Benson, Chairman. "Lowther Driving Trials & Country Fair ran as a 3 day event at Lowther Castle
for 35 years before being forced to abandon the last day of the 2008 event due to exceptionally bad weather and ground
conditions. Unfortunately and very sadly the event was unable to continue after 2008 for a variety of reasons.
The show always aimed to raise additional money for good countryside and local causes after paying its costs and rent to
the Lowther Estate for the use of the magnificent site. Over the years up to 2008 we paid out over £250,000 in this way.
The Directors and organising Committee have now taken the decision to wind up and close the business down
completely and to pay out, in the form of further charitable donations, all the financial reserves left in the company”.
NB The current Lowther Country Game and Country Fair which was staged for the first time in 2011 is a totally different organisation and has
no connection with Lowther Driving Trials and Country Fair Ltd.
Stay and See - a new initiative for Hotels, B&B’s etc
Photo - Sarah McNeil
Many hotels, guest houses and B&B’s are lucky enough to have red squirrels visiting their gardens, for
visitors this is a delight, for the venues it is an opportunity. Our website now hosts “Stay and See” a
listing of places to stay in our area that offer red squirrel sightings.
If you have red squirrels and would like to be included in “Stay and See” simply become a corporate
member, using the enclosed form or via the web. Alternatively your sponsorship could be paid for by
Squirrel Added Tax (see below) being applied as an ‘opt out’ charge on your booking form/prices.
Prices include SAT - Squirrel Added Tax
We urge businesses to follow Andrew and Elaine Forsyth’s lead of including Squirrel
Added Tax into the selling price of squirrel friendly trees they offer for sale at their
business, Weasdale Nurseries, Newbiggin on Lune. The Birds’ Bistro have now also
introduced the scheme to their range of squirrel feed and we would encourage everyone to consider whether their business could do likewise. As seen in these examples,
logos can be tailored to your requirements - What a great way of showing your
customers that your business is pro-active in the business of red squirrel conservation.
Corporate Membership - join in our success
We invite individuals, landowners and businesses to be a part of our success by becoming Major or Corporate Sponsors
for as little as £10.00 per month. For the more adventurous, fees rise by various options up to £250 per month for our
Patron status but all payments should be tax deductible whether paid as a donation or against an invoice for advertising.
Your support allows us to plan and fund our activities and also provides you with valuable marketing
opportunities, you can put our corporate sponsor logo on your literature, have a link from our website
and be recognised in our literature. We are also happy to discuss more specific sponsorship
opportunities allowing your company to badge specific events, activities or even one of our rangers.
Please complete the enclosed form today (it can also be downloaded from our website) and benefit from
being a part of our success story and join many other local businesses and landowners who are proud to
not only show they care about red squirrel conservation but also that they are doing something about it.
Individual or Family Membership
All memberships are for the calendar year with payment due in January. Members who join later in the year and wish to
pay by cash/cheque are invited to make a pro rata adjustment to take in membership for the following year. For example a
family taking out membership in June 2012 may wish to pay £36 for it to run until the end of 2013.
A plea to all members - Please consider paying your subscription by standing order - Ideally by a ‘monthly’ standing order,
as it smooths out our cash flow, though an ‘annual’ standing order still does away with the expense of sending renewal
letters. It also saves you the trouble of writing cheques and posting forms off, let alone remembering to do it.
Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group
Membership Application/Donation Form
Membership is for the calendar year - please feel free to increase your donation or pro rata it to take in the following year
Membership by cash/cheque Individual
£12
Family £24
Membership by Annual Standing Order
£12
£24
Membership by Monthly Standing Order
£1
£2
£5
or £……………. pro rata adjusted / incl. donation
(delete
as appropriate)
or £…………… including a donation
£10
or £…………… including a donation
Title:................. First name/s: ..................................……………….. Surname/s: ..............................................…………………
Address:...................................................................................................................................………………..Postcode: .....................
Phone:..............................................................
Email:.......................................................………………………………………...
Signed: ..................................................................
Date: ......................................
Please tick this box if you are a UK income tax/capital gains tax payer and wish PDRSG to claim GiftAid on your donation. The Government will
increase your donation by 25p for every pound. Please note the reclaimed tax must not exceed the amount of tax you pay this year.
Return this form to: Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group, The Estate Office, Lowther, Penrith, Cumbria. CA10 2HG
If you see a grey squirrel or a sickly red ... Don’t delay!
Please contact one of the coordinators below immediately
LOCATION
NAME
TELEPHONE NUMBER
EMAIL ADDRESS
Appleby
Sarah Richardson
01768 353759
[email protected]
Armathwaite/Lazonby
John Lisle
01768 881744 - 07841 449648(M)
[email protected]
Caldbeck
Rosemary Bailey
01697 478575
[email protected]
Crosby Ravensworth
Simon Elworthy
01931 715224 - 07902 379354(M)
[email protected]
Dalston
David Main
01228 711342
[email protected]
Greystoke
Bernard Parker
01768 484277
[email protected]
Hutton in the Forest
Amanda Hughes
07775 903712(M)
[email protected]
Ivegill
Adam Wellings
01697 476076 - 07801 072286(M)
[email protected]
Kirkby Stephen
Chris Metcalfe Gibson
01539 623336
[email protected]
Penrith Whinfell
Jerry Moss
07736 779965
[email protected]
Penrith South
Wendy Martin
01931 713215
[email protected]
Ravenstonedale
Frank Chalmers
01539 623638
[email protected]
Shap
Stuart Lewis
07528 255861
[email protected]
Tebay
Gary Murphy
01539 624788 - 07974 788434(M)
[email protected]
Ullswater – Aira Force
Steve Dowson
01768 482467
[email protected]
Ullswater North
Charlie Watson
01768 486266
[email protected]
Ullswater South
Ian Moseley
01768 482175
[email protected]
Contact Robert Benson, chairman, Marian Whitwham, treasurer or Richard Dyke, secretary via e-mail [email protected]
Correspondence to:- Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group, The Estate Office, Lowther, Penrith, Cumbria. CA10 2HG
The Secretary can be contacted by telephone c/o the Birds’ Bistro on 017684 83100
Northern Red Squirrels
Use this site to report grey squirrel sightings outside the P&DRSG area or make contact with the Red
Squirrel Group nearest to you. NRS - the voice of volunteers in Northern England
Contact Jackie Foott on 015396 25453 or visit www.northernredsquirrels.org.uk
The Red Squirrel Survival Trust is a national charity, set up under the patronage of HRH
the Prince of Wales, for the conservation of the red squirrel in the UK. It actively
supports the voluntary groups and can finance projects of merit.
Contact: Janet Wickens Email: [email protected]
Red Squirrels Northern England (RSNE)
Gosling Sike Farm, Houghton Road, Houghton, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 0LD
Nick Mason - RSNE Project Manager - Email: [email protected]
Simon O’Hare - RSNE Conservation Officer - 01228 829573 - Mob 07748 269260
Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group
Standing Order Form
To the manager…………………….. …..Bank/Building Soc
Sort code…………..—………..—………..
Bank address……………………………………………….
Account number………………………………………...
……………………………………………………………..
Account Name…………………………………………..
Instruction to your Bank / Building Society to pay by Standing Order
Please pay HSBC Bank , Market Square ,Penrith, Cumbria CA11 7SN, Sort Code 40-36-10 for the credit of Penrith & District Red
Squirrel Group. Account Number. 01310968
the sum of £ ................... ( Pounds and pence )
commencing on the ........ /........ /20........ and thereafter every month/annually* on the same day until further notice in
writing and debit my/our* account accordingly. (* delete as necessary)
Signed: ...................................…………………………………………... Date: ........………………...
Please tick here if you would like us to claim GiftAid on your donation*
*If you are a UK tax payer, we can receive 25p for every £1 you give. Gift Aid allows us to reclaim tax on donations. For your donation(s) to be eligible you must pay an amount of income tax and/or capital gains
tax that is at least equal to the tax that P&DRSG reclaims on your donations in the appropriate tax year.
Please return this original completed form to Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group, The Estate Office, Lowther, Penrith CA10 2HG