Our Wildlife Heroes 2018

Jayne & Martin have been toad patrolling at locations near Defford for a few years. They go out on cold, wet, dark nights rescuing hundreds of toads, newts and frogs. 

Sara has transformed Bredon Hill Academy into a flourishing wildlife school. She has worked endlessly to inspire pupils and teachers and has undertaken much of the hard graft herself in her own time and funded out of her own back pocket. 

The reserve was set up as a charity 10 years ago and is run by a local group of enthusiastic volunteers. They have improved the biodiversity and access, making it a local site of importance.  The award was collected by Geoff Stringer.

Jonathan goes above and beyond to help wildlife on his farm near Droitwich. He harvests seed from flowers on the farm and uses them to improve hedgerow flora, improving food and habitat for wildlife. He also feeds back to government about what farming needs to do to get the best for wildlife.

Staff and pupils have worked hard to create vibrant, wildlife friendly areas within the school grounds. The school has become a ‘nature reserve’ in its own right with well thought out habitats for hundreds of species. 

Their lawn is left unmown each autumn to allow ivy bees to nest there.  In 2016 they took to the airwaves with BBC Hereford & Worcester to raise awareness about these fascinating creatures and to reassure the county that the bees are harmless.

John has completed an enormous amount of work in the Bredon Hill area both on a practical level and by engaging local people in a number of projects. These include woodland wildflowers, spotted flycatchers, pollinator mapping, disease-free elms and two community orchards. 

Ever since he was a young boy Cecil has hated litter. He began The Duckworth Worcestershire Trust as a way to help clean up the city through litter picks and The Worcester Resource Exchange. He also owns and maintains Chapter Meadows in Worcester city centre, creating a good space for people and wildlife. 

Since taking over a small farm with sheep, he has personally carried out many improvements that benefit wildlife including restoring the pond that is central to the village; clearing and replanting bankside vegetation, pollarding willows, laying hedges and planting c500 trees. 

A charity based on the Warwickshire-Worcestershire border that currently has 3000 acres of woodland, much of it newly planted on former arable farmland. They make a very considerable contribution to the biodiversity and bioabundance of the Vale of Evesham. 

Ann is proficient in identification of mosses and liverworts and is now county Bryophyte Recorder for British Bryological Society. For many years, she led and inspired groups interested in mosses and liverworts. Ann is an active member of the Wyre Forest Study Group. Together with her husband Graham they own a small woodland on the outskirts of Worcester, managed for wildlife.

Graham has carried out ecological surveys in the county and has run the ancient trees recording for some years. He recently became Chair of the Wyre Forest Study Group. Together with his wife Ann they own a small woodland on the outskirts of Worcester, managed for wildlife.

Tom owns and manages a farm where he raises sheep but maintains an ideal habitat for wading birds. Lapwings is one of his passions and he takes great care to protect them. 

Angela rescues wildlife in and around the Bromsgrove area; if there is an injured bird or distressed wild animal she will go out of her way to help, sharing her home with hedgehogs, birds, frogs and anything else that comes along.

Linda has devoted her Bromsgrove back garden to wildlife, replacing her lawn with a mini wildflower meadow and paying particular attention to providing habitats and food throughout the year. It truly is a mini nature reserve.

Jayne has dedicated her life to helping vulnerable animals handed in to Clent Hills Veterinary Surgery. At the time of the nomination was caring for a fox cub, feeding her every two hours.

MCF plant, manage and promote woodland areas and woodland education in Malvern. The woodlands include Townsend Way, Prospect View and Station Coppice. 

Mel runs the Malvern Butterfly Group and is also the recorder for West Midlands Butterfly Conservation. He has been organising work parties on the Malvern Hills to improve habitat for the endangered grayling butterfly with promising results. Mel is also involved in a number of other projects.

Wick Grange Farm enterprise is involved in many causes both as a Care Farm and educationally. However, it has also been managed to achieve high biodiversity and high bioabundance and has been held up as an national example of good practice by Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group. 

Originally from Evesham, Jackie Morris’s illustrations for the book ‘The Lost Words’ have provided an extra incentive for schools to focus on nature in the classroom. The book appeals to lovers of words as well as images and, in the classroom, it inspires students, providing excellent results.

René's extensive gardens at Morton Hall have been renovated with a view to making them rich in wildlife and his adjacent farmland is managed to enhance biodiversity and bioabundance. 

Anda looks after the wildlife garden at Worcester’s Gheluvelt Park. She also invented Poo Watch- a free app for reporting dog poo in Worcester, great for helping reduce nutrients in the soil and helping wildflowers to grow. 

A stalwart volunteer and the work party co-ordinator of the Friends of Avon Meadows.

Mollie wrote a piece in her parish magazine, The Barbourne Messenger, to raise awareness of ivy bees and to help allay people’s fears about these bees that had taken up residence in the area. Molly contacted Worcestershire Recorders about the bees and the couple allowed access to their garden to help others raise awareness. Mollie and John garden around the bees in autumn.

Joy undertook a survey of lichens in all Worcestershire churchyards, contributing greatly to our understanding of this under-recorded group of bryophytes.

Martin manages a wildflower meadow in Bushley Green. He writes a monthly feature about wildlife in the village newsletter and leads wildlife walks throughout the year. 

Paul co- established the Broadway Natural History Society 10 years ago. He has been sourcing, planting and maintaining the diverse ground flora along the Broadway bypass (A44) and he monitors maintenance of the roadside verges higher up on Fish Hill, which are noted for the abundance of orchids.

Viv runs Malvern Hedgehog Rescue Centre, providing treatment and rehabilitation to sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs. She often has over 100 hogs at the centre and shows endless dedication and commitment.

Westall Park is a pioneering natural burial site that is managed for the benefit of wildlife. The site includes hay meadows, hedgerows, trees, an area of scrub and two large ponds. There are many bird nest boxes and a wildlife interpretation leaflet is provided for visitors. 

A fantastic advocate for wildlife, championing wildlife across broadcast and print media for many years. Brett has also created an amazing and inspirational garden for wildlife in his urban Stourbridge garden. 

This Kidderminster-based charity was set up for disabled people who make a variety of items to help wildlife at affordable prices e.g. hedgehog homes, bird tables, nesting boxes etc.

Andy & Jean have been toad patrolling around the Wadborough area for a couple of years and have been part of a group that have helped to rescue hundreds of toads, frogs and newts. They have also been instrumental in changing the management of the estate they live on to help benefit wildlife. 

The group rescues and cares for lost and injured bat, travelling all over the area to collect bats that need care and nursing them back to health before releasing them back into the wild. They also organise bat walks for members of the public.