Become a Friend of the Red Squirrel

Wight Squirrel Project is an independent, local charity that relies on donations, fundraising events, sponsorship and grants to keep it going.

If you give a minimum donation of £10 per person, you will become ‘A Friend of the Red Squirrel’ for a year and receive a certificate. This will give concessions to some red squirrel events, and access to our private hide which is now open for bookings.

Funding is needed to cover general running costs, insurance, post mortem expenses, monitoring, providing an annual newsletter, advice, veterinary bills and leaflets to the general public and also for food to fill hoppers at ‘safe’ road crossings. More recently funding has been needed to cover leprosy testing. See results here.

 

The Wight Squirrel Project (WSP) is committed to keeping your information secure and managing it in accordance with our legal responsibilities under privacy and data protection laws where we operate. Click here to see our Privacy Policy.

 

The IOW Red Squirrel Hide

The hide is now open to paid up Friends of the Red Squirrel – but only until the end of 2024.

To avoid turning up when the hide is already occupied there is a booking system in place – please contact Helen on wightsquirrels@hotmail.com for the link to the booking form.

Would you like to volunteer ?

We are always looking for help!

Would you like to receive training to become a bi-annual woodland monitor? It is very slow and starts early in the morning. You need to be observant and dedicated. The walks are three times within two weeks in the spring and autumn.

Other volunteer posts:
Can you help out at shows? We go to between six and ten events a year. See our events listing.
There are always leaflets and/or newsletters to distribute. Can you take on an area?

Information for volunteers colllecting data:
Volunteer GDPR Training pdf

Can you help with our Garden Survey?

The Wight Squirrel Trust is carrying out a survey of red squirrels in gardens on the Isle of Wight , and we need your assistance to gather data.

The aim is to get a rough idea of red squirrel activity in your area from your comments on sightings in your garden.

This will be to the best of your ability in recognising individual animals and time spent watching. Look at behaviour, tail colours (eg. is there a light or dark tip to the tail) size and head shape. Don’t fret about it if it’s difficult, just do what you can. It all helps!

If you can determine gender, that is a bonus and please put it in the comments column.Young squirrels are obvious in their size and behaviour. Once they about 5 months old it is difficult to tell unless you are very familiar with red squirrels, so don’t worry about it!

Here is the link to an Excel spreadsheet for you to download and fill in: Garden Survey.xlsx

When you have completed the form at the end of the year, email it to Helen: wightsquirrels@hotmail.com

If you would like to make more comments than a column allows, please email Helen.

It is also useful to know how many feeders you have and what food you put out. Please email the food list with your completed form as it doesn’t fit easily on this spreadsheet.

Thank you very much for being a citizen scientist and enjoy your red squirrel watching.

Helen

Become a volunteer with the Wight Squirrel Project

Wight Squirrel Project has launched a volunteer recruitment drive which will lead to training workshops once the right people are signed on. The charity is wholly run by volunteers and would not exist without them. If you appreciate red squirrels and the work we do, please join us. Volunteer jobs available are:

• Welfare help with sick and injured squirrels

• Promoting Wight Squirrel Project

• Bi-annual woodland monitoring leadership

• Planning applications

• Running our Teemill online shop

For more details of these jobs, download the pdf, or contact Helen Butler: 01983 611003 wightsquirrels@hotmail.com

Citizen Scientists

Also from January 21st, a new opportunity for members of the general public to become citizen scientists will be available. If you walk regularly and would like to contribute to data collection, you can download a spreadsheet from the website, so all you have to do is fill it in and return the spreadsheet monthly, quarterly or annually depending on how successful your squirrel spotting is. This is volunteering at its easiest and most convenient to you.

It is essential to recruit reliable volunteers to keep red squirrel conservation going. Volunteer opportunities are wide ranging and training workshops are planned once we have the right recruits. We are so lucky having red squirrels on the Isle of Wight and must ensure we keep them.

If you are interested in becoming a citizen scientist, please contact Helen Butler: 01983 611003 wightsquirrels@hotmail.com.

You can help us with our important monitoring project

Isle of Wight home owners with gardens, and land owners with woodland areas are being invited to participate in a significant project to map the habitat of the Isle of Wight’s iconic red squirrel.

It's easy for you to help (and give yourselves something fun to do at this tricky time). We have two printable survey forms for you to download, as well as an identification guide:

• Guide to identifying Red Squirrels • Garden Survey • Squirrel Identity Profile

Read more...

How you can help us

The easiest and most efficient way to offer financial help is to become a Friend of the Red Squirrel and set up a standing order with a donation.

We also need volunteers to help us with walks, events and delivering newsletters. Please contact us if you can help.

Read more...

Feeding Squirrels

Feeding red squirrels helps their survival and provides hours of entertainment for you.

They need a variety of food, not just peanuts. Hazelnuts, filberts, pine nuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, coconut and fruit will provide a varied and healthier diet. NEVER feed brazil nuts or fatballs!

Read more...

Squirrel Spotting

Peak activity times are dawn and dusk all year. Squirrels react to sound and movement, so stand still and keep quiet.

Where gardens back onto woods, squirrels are often fed and can be spotted as they travel to and from the garden.

Read more about best places to see red squirrels on the Island...

Support the charity and buy  a cute Wight Squirrel Project T-shirts online from
Teemill
For each t-shirt bought, Wight Squirrel Project will get £4.50 towards funding

T-shirts cost £19.00
buy one here...