Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group Newsletter Winter 2013 Squirrel Ranger - We Take the Plunge in Ullswater

P&DRSG have jumped in with both feet and are delighted to confirm that as of 1st February 2013 Christian Bensaid is the new Red Squirrel Ranger for Ullswater. Christian is employed on a part time (three days per week) self employed basis. He is already well known in the area as one of our more active volunteers (regularly seen at shows and events), he has a wealth of experience from his current position as a red squirrel ranger at Center Parcs where he will continue to work for the other two days. We have long aspired to have ranger cover for Ullswater to support and coordi- nate the tremendous volunteer effort and landowner support that already exists throughout the valley but have simply not had the necessary local funding. All this changed however when the Lake District National Park Authority came forward with a grant for funding, sufficiently generous to kick start the project and give us the confidence we needed. All that remains for us to address now, is how on earth do we keep it going? We have applied to Nurture Eden for their support to the project and they have indicated a keen interest to be involved. They provide funding to pay for local conservation and environmental work by inviting voluntary donations from visitors who feel inspired to put something back into looking after the places they love. We would therefore encourage all tourism businesses in Eden/Ullswater to sign up to their innovative scheme. Members will not only benefit from additional positive publicity but also demonstrate their green credentials and commitment to sustainable tourism. Please visit www.nurturelakeland.org for more information. Local support is the key to all our undertakings and we would urge individuals, landowners and businesses in ANY of our ranger coordinated areas to help fund but most importantly to retain their local ranger by becoming a member of this group. Details and the application form are at the end of this publication. New Year Greetings from HRH the Prince of Wales Irrepressible volunteer, Sarah McNeil (seen here in her new woolly squirrel hat) regularly corresponds with our Honor- ary Member HRH the Price of Wales to keep him up to date with our activities and she recently received the following;

"Dear Sarah, The Prince of Wales has asked me to thank you most warmly for your letter and has asked me to pass on his warmest New Year best wishes to you and everyone at the Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group. His Royal Highness is thrilled that 2012 has been so successful for everyone in . It is most encouraging that the message about red squirrels is spreading far and wide thanks to the internet. The Prince of Wales believes that your enthusiasm might have helped too!“ Thanks Thank you to Center Parcs once again for generously sponsoring the cost of printing our newsletters

to our Center Parcs support for red squirrel conservation goes beyond mere commercialism. Their long term commitment to the cause is nationally recognised and here locally Sponsor we have done likewise by appointing them as a Corporate Sponsor ‘Patron’ Fund Raising, Shows & Events Unfortunately, the washout summer meant the cancellation of many shows and events we would normally have attended to raise awareness and funds, so we had to work harder last year to keep the momentum going.

It was good therefore to see the return of Apple Day at the National Trust’s Acorn Bank in Temple Sowerby. Charles the Squirrel made his premier appearance, modelled by Pip Bellsham and seen left here with Gary Murphy and Sarah McNeil.

An unexpected but very welcome £100 recently came our way courtesy of Keith Wells, Chairman of Brampton & District Red Squirrel Group. Keith works at Center Parcs and is a member of their Employee Council Forum, he applied to the CP Charity Fund on behalf of both groups and hey presto £100 each. Thank you.

Many thanks also to Andrew and Elaine Forsyth from W easd ale N urserie s, Newbiggin on Lune who raised £100 from their excellent initiative to include Squirrel Added Tax to the price of their squirrel friendly trees. We were touched and delighted when they also signed up to become Silver Corporate Sponsors by standing order (That’s £25 per month). This gives our fund raising in support of Gary Murphy a real boost as we have been somewhat puzzled at the slow uptake of business and landowner giving in the Upper Eden Valley project area. Looking at the beautiful hand fed Weasdale red (pictured right) it’s hard to see why that is. Please visit www.weasdale.com Visit From Northern Ireland Volunteers

Following on from a visit to Northern Ireland by the Red Squirrels Survival Trust, a group of Red Squirrel activists obtained sponsorship from RSST to visit Cumbria and see a well-established operation. The group hoped to return with a better understanding of all the different facets of red squirrel conservation currently being undertaken in northern .

P&DRSG volunteered to host and organise the weekend last November which inexplicably seemed to centre around the hospitality afforded by the Boot & Shoe, Greystoke.

The group is pictured left (L to R) Daniel McAfee & Joe Dowdall (The Glens RSG), Dave Farnam (Mourne Heritage Trust), Charles the Squirrel, Ken Moore (Fermanagh RSG), Jackie Foott (Northern Red Squirrels Cumbria) and Rachel Bain (Bio-Diversity Officer- Co Derry/Antrim).

Saturday morning visits were made to Center Parcs at Whinfell Forest and Aira Force Waterfall, Ullswater to meet up with the rangers and volunteers who coordinate our activities. This was followed by an afternoon of presentations by Jackie Foot of Northern Red Squirrels, Janet Wickens of RSST and Nick Mason of RSNE. Sunday was taken up with a grey squirrel control workshop given by red squirrel rangers Jerry Moss and Christian Bensaid.

Our visitors seemed impressed not only by the level of volunteer activity but also by the practical involvement of national bodies such as Natural England and the Forestry Commission and we thought they’d give their eye teeth to have an organisation like RSNE supporting their work. We in turn were impressed with their level of organisation and believe we all learned something from the visit. We wish them luck in persuading the powers that be in NI to wake up and become involved and hope we can maintain the links now established, perhaps even a return visit?

Date for your diary — PENRITH & DISTRICT RED SQUIRREL GROUP ANNUAL PUBLIC MEETING 7pm Monday 15th July 2013 at Penrith Rugby Club — Come and join us to hear the very latest news on red squirrel conservation — Guest Speaker is Janet Wickens, Director, Red Squirrel Survival Trust New Red Squirrel Jewellery

The Necessary Angel in Packhorse Court, Keswick has a new and exclusive range of hand made Red Squirrel jewellery by the designer-maker, Helen Lea and will be donating 10% of each sale to the Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group. In addition, their gift wrapping service will also be raising vital funds to help us with red squirrel conservation projects.

The jewellery is made of sterling silver with rose gold plating to accentuate the details of the pieces. Tam Dent, who is co-ordinating the appeal said “We really loved Helen’s squirrel design. The touch of rose gold ties in beautifully with the colour of our local red squirrels. We think our customers will enjoy wearing the jewellery and it is a lovely reminder of one of our country’s beautiful yet endangered animals. We thought that donating a percentage of sales for a red squirrel charity would be an excellent idea”

Visit The Necessary Angel in Packhorse Court to buy this from beautiful range or visit them on-line at www.artangel.co.uk Tam, Deborah and Shana from the Necessary Angel Aira Force Squirrel Trail - Another Step Nearer In November, the National Trust launched the newly created Red Squirrel Trai1 at Aira Force, Ullswater when a ‘living’ willow viewing hide was bui1t with the help of local school children from Patterdale and Penruddock schools.

Targeted with an Easter 2013 opening, the trail has squirrel feeders strategically placed near to the footpaths that run up and down the falls giving visitors an opportunity to glimpse red squirrels in the wild. It is planned to include live camera links to a visitor viewing monitor in the car park together with information display boards and squirrel 'fun' days.

P&DRSG are partners in the project and have raised and donated £6000 towards the costs. It is also supported by The Birds’ Bistro, of Penruddock, Lakeland's wild bird and red squirrel feeding specialists, who have a long history of work- ing with the NT and who donated the feeders and feed. Jonathan Taylor (Birds Bistro), Steve Dowson (NT) & Richard Dyke (PDRSG) John Pring (NT) dressed as Sammy the Squirrel Our Youngest Member - Born to be Wild Sarah McNeil enrolled her Great Niece as a member of P&DRSG at the very tender age of just one hour old! Two years on and Brooklyn Rose Hale has become a huge fan of the ‘reds’ and has an ever growing collection of cuddly red squirrel toys in her play room. But what pleases her most is when she comes to visit her Great Aunt and they go out and watch the real thing. Photo - Sarah McNeil The survival of the red squirrel depends entirely on this and future generations of volunteers, so it`s encouraging to see that Brooklyn is already taking such a keen interest in conservation and the great outdoors. Any school wanting a talk with power point presentation, please contact the Secretary. RS Rangers Now Cover the Whole of Our Area

Whinfell For 2012 the records show a modest increase in grey kills but simply confirm that Whinfell is an area kept well under control for the benefit of red squirrels by professional rangers on top of the job. We commend Center Parcs for their tremendous on-going commitment in not only employing award winning, full time ranger, Jerry Moss but also for Christian Bensaid’s part-time support of his work and not forgetting Emma Tapp and her team for their squirrel monitoring work from the Rangers Lodge. From Jerry’s experience, squirrel activity slows down in the early part of the year but that it is usual for grey squirrel sightings to ‘go bananas’ when dispersal starts in September. This came six weeks later in 2012 and he wondered whether the exceptionally wet conditions had been the cause.

Upper Eden Valley Gary Murphy is pleased to report that his area continues to be quieter as far as grey sightings and kills are concerned. There has been some indeterminate sickness in reds at Appleby this year but the PM has so far eliminated Pox. This year he featured in the January edition of the Cumbria Wildlife Trusts magazine, in an article on his work with Smardale red squirrels, written by Simon O’Hare. Not content with that he was also featured in a six page article in the January edition of the Countryman magazine. The very fact that Gary is so sought after for a good news story is testament to his tireless and outstandingly successful red squirrel conservation work. 2012 records show a 42% decrease in grey kills and confirm that red squirrels were being sighted across the whole of this large and important area.

Northern Eden Valley From the records for 2012, John Lisle was pleased to see that grey kills were down in every one of his sub areas - Armathwaite, Kirkoswald, Lazonby & Melmerby and overall, red sightings were up on 2011. This winter John was receiving many ‘one off’ grey squirrel sightings which he found very frustrating and difficult to effectively deal with. More disappointingly was that Pox had re-appeared at Parkhead, despite a complete absence of grey sightings. NEV suffered 13 confirmed cases of Squirrel Pox Virus (SQPV) during 2012 and whilst worrying that outbreaks seem here to stay, we content ourselves that if handled correctly, it passes without the catastrophic consequences we once feared. Well done John.

Greystoke In post since May 2012, Matthew Stuart is Hutton’s red squirrel pleased to confirm that Greystoke forest is ranger Amanda Hughes virtually grey free with only two kills recorded. has returned home to The buffer zone around the forest however has become gamekeeper at seen, as expected, an increase in grey kills, Hutton in the Forest. mainly coming from the north and particularly in Overall greys down and the Sowerby Row area. We thank volunteer a 50% increase in red David Cowen for the exceptional control effort sightings. Data also he now undertakes along the river Caldew in includes Jerry Moss’ the Sebergham to Dalston area. work at Middlesceugh.

Ullswater For 2012, North and South Ullswater both showed an encouraging decrease in grey kills/sightings and increase in red sightings. Anecdotally, concerns of lower red numbers continue to be made. Haweswater appears to be well looked after and Shaps recorded second year without a grey sighting or kill is nothing short of remarkable. Ullswater welcomes Christian Bensaid as their new Red Squirrel Ranger. He has attended meetings with local volunteers and the community via the Whole Valley Planning meeting in Glenridding and is busy familiarising himself with the ‘interesting’ terrain. His first couple of weeks left him surprised but not daunted at the number of greys encountered and scale of the task ahead but he has been greatly encouraged by the warm welcome and offers of assistance from everyone he meets.

P&DRSG Squirrel Data Summary Based purely on the data recorded, 2012 saw a 31% increase in year on year red squirrel sightings across the whole of our area of operation, a 30% decrease in grey squirrel sightings and a 16% decrease in grey squirrel kills. This all sounds very encouraging but then Squirrel Pox cases increased by a dramatic100% and we have to consider the reason for this. We now have 3 years data and it is tempting to start making comparisons but it must be remembered that our activities are still evolving and that the amount of effort we deploy has varied considerably, from volunteers only to the introduction of rangers. In summary we suggest we are keeping on top of the job and that in general, reds are thriving.

Red Grey Grey No. 2011 2010 2012 Sightings Sightings Kills Pox Cases By Post RS GS GK POX RS GS GK POX Mortem GREYSTOKE

Caldbeck 115 23 19 74 26 37 1 24 23 21 1

Dalston 115 129 94 15 70 70 15 16 5 3

Greystoke Forest 181 21 98 3 22 10 14 4 5

Hutton 328 32 107 198 79 134 1 70 18 68

Area Total 739 205 318 290 197 251 2 128 99 114 4

ULLSWATER

Haweswater 48 NR 9 120 NR 19 NR NR 8 4

Shap 252 0 0 144 0 0 NR NR 7

Ullswater north 157 63 78 4 121 166 174 33 42 76

Ullswater south 111 41 89 73 88 101 26 32 39

Area Total 568 104 167 4 458 254 294 59 74 130 4

NORTHERN EDEN VALLEY Armathwaite 302 117 150 4 181 199 179 3 132 77 100 10

Kirkoswald 25 25 74 7 98 39 82 47 25 43 1

Lazonby 232 24 85 1 243 21 78 6 134 14 51 1

Melmerby 180 19 25 1 52 15 36 90 27 24 2

Area Total 739 185 334 13 574 274 375 9 403 143 218 14

WHINFELL

Penrith 45 2 27 21 9 43 23 18

Whinfell Area 444 37 119 6 392 67 98 1 252 65 66 7

Area Total 489 39 119 6 419 88 107 1 295 88 84 7

UPPER EDEN VALLEY Appleby 118 24 54 5 254 22 58 2 247 23 76 1

Kirkby Stephen 257 42 63 188 36 144 118 39 138

Tebay 5 32 63 34 30 109 12 14 70

Area Total 380 98 180 5 476 88 311 2 377 76 284 1

GRAND TOTAL 2915 631 1127 28 2217 901 1338 14 1262 480 830 30

Thermal Imaging— Another Tool in the Box P&DRSG are at the forefront of technology when it comes to red squirrel conservation – trialling a thermal imaging camera to assess its possible benefits. The ‘Flir’ (forward looking infra red) hand-held thermal imaging camera has been in use almost every day over the past few months and Jerry Moss (photo right) and Christian Bensaid, Centre Parks, Whinfell rangers, report that the camera has definitely changed the stakes in the battle with grey control.

Like all predators the Rangers rely on movement to zero in on their prey, however with the ‘Flir’ they are able to home in on grey squirrels even when they are still and hidden by foliage. It also enables them to track a grey on the move as it dashes through the tree tops and then to find it again if it goes out of view slightly further on from its last known position.

Not only has the thermal imaging camera helped the P&DRSG Rangers catch more greys, it has also helped them to spot and identify many more reds which would have ordinarily been missed!

So, what is the result of the trial – a resounding YES. Thermal imaging is definitely a very useful addition to the Rangers Tool kit. However, priced at over £1,000 each it’s not exactly petty cash and we would urge any potential sponsors to please get in touch.

Welcome Solway RSG Ways You Can Help P&DRSG The newly formed Solway Red Squirrel Group was In addition to just giving us money - You can help us by:- founded following an initial request for a "Squirrel Talk" to Brampton & District Red Squirrel Group  Volunteering for grey control in your local area whilst exhibiting at Watchtree Nature Reserve  Volunteering to check traps Country Life Show in August 2012. This became an opportunity for NRS, RSNE & other local groups to  Volunteering to monitor squirrel numbers be involved, with the aim of setting up a new group  Promptly reporting sightings of grey squirrels to to fill a big hole in the Solway area. group contacts – list on last page

A public meeting was arranged  Promptly report sightings of sickly red squirrels early October and by October 27th the new group had had  Reporting grey kills by you or others in or outside their first meeting and trap of this group, with date, location etc.

trained new volunteer members.  Recruiting new members and corporate sponsors

Chris McCall and Carl Weller  Promoting the view that red squirrel conservation were appointed joint Chairman, is predominantly about grey squirrel control Marion Grave, Treasurer and Photo - Sarah McNeil Julie Bailey, Secretary.  Organising a fund raising event – coffee mornings, garden open days, selling quiz or raffle tickets etc.

P&DRSG were pleased to provide feeders and traps  Report/ensure any dead reds are sent for analysis to help kick start their neighbour’s activities and it is  Host or find hosts for our charity collection boxes rewarding to see the data for 2012 shows 29 red sightings, 117 grey sightings and 91 grey kills.  Raise awareness locally – schools, organisations, parish councils / magazines etc. & talks to groups Well done to all involved, what a great start!

Raising Awareness

Thanks to volunteers rather more computer literate than our dinosaur of a secretary, Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group are on facebook, whatever that it. Please visit the site and all you have to do to keep up to date with us is click ‘Like’ - apparently.

Volunteers Trish Mansbridge, Julie Bailey and Emma Tapp are waiting to hear from groups who would like a talk on red squirrel conservation.

Many thanks (once again!) to H & H Reeds Printers for sponsoring our leaflets which not only raise awareness but also recruit members. Photo - Mark Davies Also to BK Screenprint for subsidising the cost of our new car stickers. Individual or Family Membership Membership is the life blood of any organisation and we are no exception. Please sign up and become a member today!

All memberships are for the calendar year but are payable at any time. 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 2013 may wish to pay £36 for it to run until the end of 2014.

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. Membership as a Major or Corporate Sponsor This scheme is simply for those who wish to give more than our standard membership, whether they are private individuals, landowners or businesses. Starting from as little as £10.00 per month, all payments should be tax deductible, as charitable donations or set against our invoice for advertising / services rendered etc.

Your regular standing order payments will not only allow us to budget our commitments but will also provide you with valuable marketing opportunities. You can use our corporate sponsor logo on your literature and have a links to/from our website. What an opportunity for you to show your clients and customers that you not only care but are prepared to do something about it.

Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group Membership Form Membership is for the calendar year, payable at any time - Please tick the appropriate membership level or feel free to enter a higher amount should you wish to increase your subscription by including a donation or pro rata it, to take in the following year

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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 WHINFELL Penrith, Lowther, Temple Sowerby, Jerry Moss 07736 779965 Whinfell & Shap Red Squirrel Ranger [email protected] NORTHERN EDEN VALLEY Armathwaite, Lazonby, Kirkoswald John Lisle 07841 449648 Langwathby & Melmerby Red Squirrel Ranger [email protected] UPPER EDEN VALLEY Appleby, , Brough, Gary Murphy 07974 788434 & Tebay Red Squirrel Ranger [email protected] GREYSTOKE Greystoke & Forest Area Matthew Stuart 07789 383365 Red Squirrel Ranger [email protected] Hutton in the Forest Amanda Hughes 07775 903712 Red Squirrel Ranger [email protected] Ivegill Adam Wellings 01697 476076 - 07801 072286 [email protected] Caldbeck Rosemary Bailey 01697 478575 [email protected] Dalston David Main 01228 711342 [email protected] ULLSWATER Christian Bensaid Ullswater & Haweswater Area 07815 784381 Red Squirrel Ranger [email protected] Aira Force Steve Dowson 01768 482467 [email protected] Ullswater North Charlie Watson 01768 486266 [email protected]

Contact Robert Benson (Chairman), Rena Gardner (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

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

Set up under the patronage of HRH the Prince of Wales, the Red Squirrel Survival Trust is the national voice for red squirrel conservation in the UK. Contact: Janet Wickens - Director Email: [email protected]

Red Squirrels Northern England (RSNE) Nick Mason - RSNE Project Manager - Email: [email protected] Simon O’Hare - RSNE Conservation Officer - 01228 829573 - Mob 07748 269260

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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