Red-friendly park rallies guests for royal mascot plea
A Lakeland holiday park is backing a call from Prince Charles for the red squirrel to be adopted as Britain's new mascot - and is calling on its thousands of holiday guests to sign a petition of support.
Skelwith Fold in Ambleside was praised last year by The Prince of Wales after he heard that red squirrels had once again established colonies in the grounds after a two-year battle by the park.
Now Prince Charles has suggested in an interview earlier this month that the endangered species should become the UK's official national symbol.
"It's a wonderful idea, and would certainly benefit Cumbria's tourism economy," said Henry Wild, director of Skelwith Fold Caravan Park.
"Lakeland is one of the few places in England where people can take a holiday with the chance of spotting red squirrels, and this could attract tens of thousands of extra visitors," he added.
To help bolster Prince Charles' campaign to see Britain symbolised by a red squirrel, the park is inviting guests to sign a petition of support when they visit the park this year.
Skelwith Fold's website (www.skelwith.com) will also be inviting on-line visitors to add their names to the list which will later be presented both to Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street.
The Prince of Wales last year wrote to Skelwith Fold congratulating the park "most strongly" on its "efforts to preserve this wonderful creature".
Prince Charles also gave details of the park's achievements to the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, of which he is the patron, and it has now published Skelwith's success strategy nationwide.
It's hoped that the case study will encourage other landowners in Britain to adopt similar tactics aimed at paving the way for red squirrels to win their fight against the aggressive greys.
Attracting the threatened reds back to the 130-acre park required a concerted effort by Henry and his staff team at Skelwith Fold.
An action group at the park was formed three years ago and introduced a programme of woodland management to ensure that the natural environment was made as red-friendly as possible.
The first colony of red squirrels was spotted after 18 months - and to date, six colonies have now been identified, much to the delight of local wildlife groups and park visitors.
"It involved a lot of hard work on the part of Skelwith's own conservation team, but the fantastic result has made everything worthwhile," commented Henry.
"We hope that the call by Prince Charles for the red squirrel to become our national symbol will be heeded, and we will be doing everything in our power to help.
"Putting red squirrels in the spotlight like this will help ensure that these beautiful creatures once again become a familiar part of the landscape," he added.
ends
More press information from Henry Wild on 01539 432277
or PR consultant Jon Boston on 01768 895225