The Sedbergh Red Squirrel Group
The Sedbergh Squirrel Blog
3rd February 2025
The winter months have been spent expanding our work in controlling grey squirrels in the area. We have also continued to feed reds over the colder, leaner months, and local people have been buying feeders from us to do this on their own land. Recently, we have been enjoying the antics of the red scamps up here at Firbank as they start their mating rituals chasing each other about the fir trees.
We have received a grant of £500 from the Sedbergh Community Fund to purchase some digital 4G wildlife cameras to help us monitor squirrel activity from our phones.
Mark and our volunteer ranger have attended a very interesting talk set up by Keswick Red Squirrel Group on the possible recolonisation of the native Pine Marten.
We are holding a table top sale at the People's Hall on the 1st of March. We have decided to make one concerted effort to raise funds during the year so that during the rest of the year we can concentrate on squirrel–related conservation work, education, increasing membership and engaging with the public.
If you would like to volunteer for this event in any way, that would be fabulous. Ways you could help might be to:
- Contribute any items of bric a brac, clothing or household items that you have finished with to our own red squirrel stall.
- Bake a cake for us to sell on the day in the refreshments area.
- Help on the day, either on the stall or in the kitchen.
- Help set up the tables in the morning between 9am and 10am or put them away between 3pm and 4 pm.
- Spread the word to friends and neighbours who may like to hire a table for £6 and have a good spring clear out, or indeed have a table yourself. There are 18 tables available.
- Please phone or text Jennie and Mark on the Squirrel Phone – 07587 015465.
Jennie and Mark Christie – 3rd February 2025
6th January 2025
30th November 2024
Conservationists turn to AI in battle to save red squirrels, from The Grauniad, 23rd November 2024
21st November 2024
The Bad News – Red squirrels 'to vanish from England' unless vaccine against squirrelpox funded, from The Guardian, 16th November 2024
The Good News – A busy few weeks as autumn moves to winter. A call out to the residents of Sedbergh has had a good response and people have hosted traps to catch grey squirrels in their gardens. This summer has brought lots of sightings of greys in the town and controlling them will allow our reds the best chance this winter along with lots of supplementary feeding. An increase in sightings of red squirrels in the Firbank area is also great news. – Mark and Jennie Christie
23 September 2024
It was all go at Sedbergh Artisan Market last Saturday. Cyril was a great hit and interesting conversations were had at the stall. We now have 100 Facebook followers.
15th September 2024
Our first event of the year fast approaches. Sedbergh Artisan Market on Saturday 21st September, 9.30am to 3.00pm. We are so looking forward to meeting Sedbergh residents and visitors to chat about red squirrel conservation, share ideas and the joys of seeing red squirrels. Please come along and say hello. Cyril, Sedbergh's red squirrel will be joining us too. – Mark and Jennie Christie
1st August 2024
Article published in the Sedbergh Lookaround by Karen and Steve Hopps, concerning the Threat Posed by Greys.
28th July 2024
Launch of new Sedbergh Red Squirrels Facebook Page:– Click here 
, and launch of our Squirrel Phone on 07587–015465 for the reporting of sightings of reds and greys.
5th June 2024
There have been reports of a red squirrel infected with the squirrel pox in the Sedbergh area. Please could everyone stay vigilant, and report any sightings of sickly reds to sedberghredsquirrels100@gmail.com.
27th May 2024
First broadcast of "Cumbria's Red Squirrels" on BBC Television. Beautifully produced one–hour documentary film, available on BBC iPlayer for over a year.
2021
The group has made a donation of £100 to the Woodland Trust for their purchase of land to be re–wilded at Snaizeholme.
January 2019
Wildlife–friendly tree planting by students from Sedbergh School at Low Branthwaites, as part of the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust's Together for Trees Campaign. For information about the Together for Trees Campaign, go to www.ydmt.org.