IN my new role as chairman of the UK Red Squirrel Group, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to your readers with an urgent plea for them to support our vital conservation programme, to help protect the endangered red squirrel.

There are now only 160,000 red squirrels living in Britain's woodlands and forests today, but with help from the general public we can try and ensure that the red squirrel remains in existence during this Millennium and well into the next.

Next Saturday (September 18) marks the start of NPI Red Squirrel Week - an annual event which aims to raise public awareness about the plight of red squirrels. The theme for the week is the importance of woodlands and woodland management to our native red squirrel. Many organisations and individuals involved in red squirrel conservation - including the Forestry Commission, National Trust, pension and retirement specialist NPI and the Wildlife Trusts - stage events both nationally and regionally

But it is not just during NPI Red Squirrel Week that the red squirrel needs our support. Members of the public can help in many ways - by reporting sightings of red squirrels, roadside deaths and grey squirrels in red squirrel zones; by only buying wood marked or labelled as coming from a sustainably-managed forest or by joining their local action group or Wildlife Trust.

Over the last decade we have made remarkable advances to help save the red squirrel, which includes introducing rope bridges to solve the problem of crossing roads for red squirrels, and working with woodland owners and managers to develop new methods of monitoring and providing assistance on best practice.

With your readers help we can do more, and I am urging anyone interested to use NPI Red Squirrel Week as the reason they need to get involved in red squirrel conservation. For more information contact NPI Red Alert (UK), the national conservation programme dedicated to red squirrels on 0191 284 6884.

Thank you.

Martyn Howat

Chairman

UK Red Squirrel Group

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