YOUR Public Engagement Officer

Thanks to funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Froglife has recruited two new posts to help develop our conservation work and engagement with people. First to start is our new Public Engagement Officer, Liam Atherton. Liam was previously part of our Scotland team, where he was helping create new ponds and working with volunteers to manage habitats.

Liam at work in North Lanarkshire

Having been based in our Peterborough Office for two weeks so far, Liam will be making contact with volunteers and Froglife Friends, Toad Patrollers, people who have helped with our frog disease research, and anyone else he can find to talk to about Froglife’s work!

Liam, it’s over to you say hello....

“In my experience, people that really enjoy talking about themselves are often the people least worth listening to! So although I now find myself in that very position, it really is all about YOU.

I want to hear from all of our supporters, Friends and Croak readers! Please take the time to tell me what you are up to, where you are getting up to it, and how we can help each other in the name of amphibians and reptiles!

So, If you are digging a pond, let me know how you got on; if you carried a toad across a road, I want to know whether he stopped to thank you afterwards! If you have had an outbreak of disease in your garden, how are the frogs getting on now? If you use our website or Information Service, what do you think, and is there anything else you’d like to know?

I will be working with the Communications Team, keeping everyone updated on the very latest at Froglife, and getting out and about to help support all the people out there who give up your time to help us protect our native species and their habitats. I will also be making sure you never hit a dead end when you want to get more involved with our work. I’ll be going out and about giving talks, visiting sites and groups and popping along to events, so hopefully we’ll get a chance to meet face-to-face for a chat.

At Froglife, our conservation efforts are based on the core belief that “everyone is invited”: I am here to make sure you all get your invites!

If you’d like to say hello, you can:

• Find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ look for Liam ‘Froglife’ Atherton and become a Friend
• Drop me an email to liam.atherton@froglife.org
• Just give me a call on 01733 558844 or 07772 318961
• Write to me at the office: Froglife, 2a Flag Business Exchange, Vicarage Farm Road, Peterborough, PE1 5TX
• You could also join the Froglife Friends walk on Saturday 23rd July at Hampton Nature Reserve in Peterborough - get in touch with me if you’d like to book a place to come along and meet me and Reserve Warden, Paul.”

 Froglife's new Conservation Coordinator will be starting later in the year, so these are exciting times for us, and for reptiles and amphibians!

You can support our work conserving reptiles and amphibians and reptiles for as little as £1.50 a month. Sign up as a Froglife Friend and help save species and habitats here.



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Photo: Eilidh Spence

Date correction! Friends walk on Saturday 23rd July

Froglife is inviting Friends and supporters to the final in this year’s series of Frog Friend walks on Saturday 23rd July at Hampton Nature Reserve (apologies for the precious post with the incorrect date). 

The Reserve is home to the largest known population of Great crested newts in Europe, and possibly the world. With Reserve Warden Paul Furnborough as your guide, you will be able to uncover the hidden secrets of the three hundred acre reserve, not normally open to the public.“This is a unique and exciting opportunity to come out and explore the reserve,” explains Liam Atherton, Froglife’s new Public Engagement Officer. “You can come along and see the amazing variety of wildlife that thrives there, and meet some of the Froglife staff and volunteers.”

The incredible ridge and furrow landscape of Hampton Nature Reserve

Owned by O&H Hampton Ltd and managed by Froglife, Hampton Nature Reserve is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS). It’s a former brickworks that has been reclaimed by wildlife. Froglife Friends support our work from £18 a year, and this is a special opportunity for you to see how valuable your donations are for the charity.
 

A Grest crested newt - one of the many species that call Hampton Nature Reserve home

“There is something for absolutely everyone on the Reserve,” adds Liam. “Along with species of amphibians and reptiles, the site is home to water vole, hare and muntjac deer, as well as a variety of bird species such as the red kite and wheatear. Botanists will be keen to get a look at the incredibly rare bearded stonewort- found only in here and one Scottish loch.”

The walk will take place between 11am and 1pm, and attendees are invited to join reserve volunteers for a picnic and bonfire lunch shortly afterwards and even get involved in some extra activities in the afternoon.

The meeting point is the reserve gate, at the end of Nature’s Way immediately off Junction 2 of the A1139. Please wear appropriate clothing and dress for the weather; walking boots with ankle support are recommended as the ground is very uneven.

Please contact us to book your place. You can phone the office on 01733 558844, or email info@froglife.org

You can find out more about Hampton Nature Reserve here.

You can sign up as a Froglife Friend to join us on the walk and support our work here.

Photos: Sam Taylor and Francesca Barker

Hop, Crawl or Slither Over to Hampton Nature Reserve on 23rd July!

Froglife is inviting Friends and supporters to the final in this year’s series of Frog Friend walks on Saturday 23rd July at Hampton Nature Reserve.

The Reserve is home to the largest known population of Great crested newts in Europe, and possibly the world. With Reserve Warden Paul Furnborough as your guide, you will be able to uncover the hidden secrets of the three hundred acre reserve, not normally open to the public.

The incredible ridge and furrow landscape of Hampton Nature Reserve

“This is a unique and exciting opportunity to come out and explore the reserve,” explains Liam Atherton, Froglife’s new Public Engagement Officer. “You can come along and see the amazing variety of wildlife that thrives there, and meet some of the Froglife staff and volunteers.”

Owned by O&H Hampton Ltd and managed by Froglife, Hampton Nature Reserve is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), and a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS). It’s a former brickworks that has been reclaimed by wildlife. Froglife Friends support our work from £18 a year, and this is a special opportunity for you to see how valuable your donations are for the charity.

A Grest crested newt - one of the many species that call Hampton Nature Reserve home

“There is something for absolutely everyone on the Reserve,” adds Liam. “Along with species of amphibians and reptiles, the site is home to water vole, hare and muntjac deer, as well as a variety of bird species such as the red kite and wheatear. Botanists will be keen to get a look at the incredibly rare bearded stonewort- found only in here and one Scottish loch.”

The walk will take place between 11am and 1pm, and attendees are invited to join reserve volunteers for a picnic and bonfire lunch shortly afterwards and even get involved in some extra activities in the afternoon.

The meeting point is the reserve gate, at the end of Nature’s Way immediately off Junction 2 of the A1139. Please wear appropriate clothing and dress for the weather; walking boots with ankle support are recommended as the ground is very uneven.

Please contact us to book your place. You can phone the office on 01733 558844, or email info@froglife.org

You can find out more about Hampton Nature Reserve here.

You can sign up as a Froglife Friend to join us on the walk and support our work here.


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Photos: Sam Taylor and Francesca Barker

Share Your Urban Tails

Froglife has recently launched a brand new publication aimed at helping people discover more about reptiles and amphibians in urban environments. Urban Tails features tips on where and when to look and how to identify the different species.

Our new Urban Tails booklet

There are two editions of Urban Tails to choose from – one covering the whole of the UK and one covering Scotland, which is home to fewer species.

Can you tell the difference between a frog and a toad? How about a grass snake and an adder? The informative ID section can help you confidently identify the species you might spot in your garden, on your allotment or at your local nature reserve. There are plenty of colour photos and the booklet is beautifully illustrated by our resident artist, and Deputy CEO, Sam Taylor.

A perfect companion for summer-holiday exploring or gardening, the Urban Tails booklet also provides plenty of inspiration for making your own green space more frog-friendly and a reptile-refuge.

You can also find all the information can be found on our website, where you can share your own Urban Tail in order help inspire others.

• Copies of the UK and Scotland editions of Urban Tails can be downloaded or you can request a free copy via the Frogalogue (a small charge is made for P&P) here.
• Urban Tails is a sister publication to Just Add Water - our popular booklet with information on building and looking after wildlife ponds.  You can get a copy of Just Add Water here.
• We would love to hear your stories of amphibian and reptile spotting and pond creation.  You can tell us all about your experiences here.

You can support our work conserving reptiles and amphibians and reptiles for as little as £1.50 a month. Sign up as a Froglife Friend and help save species and habitats here.



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