The Save Me Trust

Summary

The Save Me Trust works to create new habitats and protect our most remarkable and precious wildlife, bringing nature back to its wild state. It also supports a wildlife rescue centre where veterinary surgeons and state-of-the-art equipment provide emergency care to our native bats, hedgehogs, foxes, badgers and much more.

Who is behind it?

The Save Me Trust, a conservation charity established by Queen guitarist and animal welfare campaigner Brian May, and conservationist Anne Brummer.

Why have we chosen this project?     

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. The Save Me Trust works in the most sensitive way, so that wildlife flourishes – they work with nature, making changes slowly and with a ‘no kill’ policy.

This work goes beyond critical care intervention - the programme also includes secure soft-release sites to reintroduce outpatients back into the wild in a safe and sustainable way. The focus is on making a real tangible difference to British wildlife today as well as longer-term research and education to protect it into the future.

What do we most love about it?

The power of restoring nature: this project will lead to more forever homes for wildlife and more trees that filter water, purify our air, and prevent soil erosion. Balanced population of animals like hedgehogs play important role in the wider ecosystem, creating a healthier environment for other wildlife and humans too.

How does it work?

The Save Me Trust manages private land, purchased and protected specifically for this purpose by Brian May, for example land that was wilderness-deprived commercial forest or farmland.

They enhance and create wildflower meadows, protect the land from hunting, manage and engineer water courses and plant hedgerows, all providing cover for multitude of animals and enabling natural breaking down and composting the woodland floor and keeping it healthy.

The wildlife hospital is equipped with specialist equipment, operating theatre and intensive care units. There are full time veterinary surgeons living on site, supported by a team of trained volunteers. The rescue has a network of enclosures and sites for reintroducing outpatients into the wild.

Hedgehog highways are created allowing hedgehogs to move from garden to garden. Nesting and feeding boxes are added and populations are monitored. The schools’ programme encourages children to transform their gardens into hedgehog safe zones.

What broader benefits does it bring?

Expertly and sensitively rewilded land will remove carbon from the air, helping to tackle the climate crisis. Engaging and educating local communities brings wellbeing benefits to the people involved and helps create a broader wildlife support movement.

How will we know it's working?

The Save Me Trust starts with a detailed survey of the land to understand what is already there, so that they can preserve it. They consider any soil types, weather conditions and existing flora and fauna. Regular monitoring and surveying of wildlife shows the impact of the work. At the rescue centre patient numbers are carefully recorded and monitored, as are the releases and long-term tracking of outcomes among released animals.

By the way...

The UK has lost almost half of its nature. It is one of the world's most nature-depleted countries – the state of the UK’s nature ranks in the bottom 10% globally.