Pupils at a Northumberland primary school have received recognition from The Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister after they began a campaign calling for action to protect the shrinking population of red squirrels from deadly disease carrying grey squirrels. The children are pupils at The Duke’s Middle School in Alnwick.
The pupil’s letters to Prince Charles and Mr Cameron were prompted by Ernie Gordon, an 81 year old author who has written two books on the plight of the red squirrels. Mr Gordon’s story books entitled ‘The Adventures of Rusty Redcoat’ highlight a stark message that the remaining indigenous red squirrel population of Northern Ireland and Scotland is at serious risk of extinction. This risk of extinction is a result of them falling victim to squirrel pox, to which the English greys are immune.
The schoolchildren have now received individual letters from The Prince of Wales as well as a letter of recognition from 10 Downing Street. The letters from Clarence House thank each and every pupil for ‘writing so passionately about red squirrels’ and refer to the work that Prince Charles is doing with the Red Squirrel Survival Trust. The letters conclude by saying how ‘His Royal Highness is touched you should take the trouble to write and offers his warmest thanks and best wishes’.
Duke’s Middle School Deputy Headmistress Anne Puddephatt spoke of the children’s campaign, “The pupil’s were inspired by Ernie’s tales. After attending his book launch and seeing his films of red squirrels, they started to research the plight of species in greater detail to find out what could be done.”
Nearly 30 children wrote to the Prince and one Charlotte-Ann Kelly called on Charles to ‘build sanctuaries for red and grey squirrels and to put aside money for researching a cure for squirrel pox’ a sentiment that was echoed by most of her classmates. One youngster suggested that more pine forests should be planted for red squirrels whilst another suggested getting others involved in clearing the UK of the disease ridden greys.
Ernie Gordon spoke of the plight of red squirrels, “There has been an appalling lack of serious action in recent decades to halt the spread of non-indigenous diseased grey squirrels in England. This sad state of affairs could be repeated in Scotland if nothing is done soon.”
Mrs Puddephatt spoke of the excitement when the children received their letters, “The children were over the moon at receiving the letters, all of which commented on individual suggestions the children had included in their letters.”
The children’s reply from Downing Street informed the pupils that the Prime Minister has asked for their letters to be passed on to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in order for them to be responded to directly.
The Red Squirrel Survival Trust is a national charity established to ensure the conservation and protection of the red squirrel in the UK. The Prince of Wales is Patron of the RSST and has long been a supporter of the red squirrel cause.
Featured Photo Credit: UK in Sweden via photopin cc
