Wildlife Trust is very grateful for community aid

STAFFORDSHIRE’S largest nature conservation charity is saying a big ‘thank you’ for all the support it has received in the wake of the devastating moorland fire at The Roaches last month.

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has been inundated with offers of support following the large fire on its Roaches nature reserve in August which caused evastation to habitats and wildlife.

That support has helped the Trust massively during an extremely difficult time.

Fire crews worked day and night to get the fire under control throughout August.

Roaches warden Jon Rowe said: “The support we have received has been phenomenal. We were inundated with offers of help from the outset – volunteers were on the ground every day manning the road blocks and access restrictions, talking to locals and potential visitors. Their help was vital during an extremely tough time for the Trust.

“The firefighters showed extreme bravery, skill and determination to get the fire under control. We also could not have carried out the work we needed to get the fire under control without the help of several partners who we are so thankful to.

“We were also extremely grateful to people who donated food and refreshments at Leek Community Fire Station.

“Members of the public too, who were so understanding and patient with us during the fire. The local community really rallied around us especially, and their support and understanding helped us so much.

“Our appeal for donations to purchase additional firefighting equipment was also overwhelming – so far we’ve raised over £5,000. We cannot thank people enough for their kindness and donations.

“While the fire has been devastating and caused a lot of distress, it has also shown how kind people can be too, something which has helped the Trust enormously.

“The community really pulled together to help us manage such difficult circumstances and we all want to say thank you to those who have shown their support to us.”

The Trust is reminding people to be extremely careful with discarded cigarettes and are asking people to ensure barbecues are used safely – advising people not to use disposable barbecues in areas of open grassland.

Now the immediate priority to deal with the fire has passed, the Trust’s effort is going into restoring the Roaches to its former glory.

The Trust is fortunate that it already has some grants in place to help restore the land. However, given the impact of the fire, further funds are needed to help the charity carry out this work and an appeal for support will be launched soon.

Anyone who wishes to help with volunteering should contact Roaches warden, Jon Rowe, info@staffs-wildlife. org.uk.