Wildlife film-makers Philippa Forrester and Charlie Hamilton-James encouraged families to get out in the fresh air this Easter and enjoy wildlife from the new Kingfisher Hide at The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust’s (WWT) Slimbridge Wetland Centre.

The popular television presenter and her husband, a respected kingfisher photographer, joined staff, construction workers and funders today to celebrate the official launch of the new hide, which has been specifically designed so that families can get closer to wildlife.

At the opening Philippa said: “It is an enormous honour to have been invited to open the kingfisher hide and it will give both myself and my husband Charlie great pleasure to think that for many years to come, people of all ages and degrees of bird watching expertise will be given the opportunity to get more than just a glimpse of one of our most beautiful and iconic birds.

“Slimbridge is really important to us as a family, we often enjoy a day out here with the boys and it’s great to watch them engage with the different species. Every time we come we see something different, so apart from being such a vital hub for conservation and education, Slimbridge is also a great day out for the family.”

Since the hide was completed earlier this year, three kingfishers have already returned to set up home in the mud banks directly in front of the building and during the opening, a female kingfisher swooped in for a flying visit to allow all the visitors close up views.

The hide was created using lime render and has a partial turf roof in order to blend into the landscape. It has low windows with views of a bird feeding station, a wetland habitat in the middle of the building and allows close up views of kingfishers and a variety of other bird species.

Philippa added: “When Sir Peter established the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust as the Severn Wildfowl Trust, he had a clear vision that if we are to conserve our wildlife then we must enable people to see what it is that they stand to lose. The new Kingfisher Hide at Slimbridge will allow families to learn about wildlife together and have some truly unique experiences. Kingfishers are seldom seen, but at Slimbridge the public can come within metres of these iconic birds and get up close and personal to all the wildlife in beautiful surroundings.”
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The Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) is delighted that one of the UK’s leading professional services organisations PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) is showing support for its conservation and education work by becoming a corporate patron scheme member.

PwC’s UK community affairs programme is focused on promoting social inclusion within its local communities by supporting the areas of environment, education and employability. By becoming a corporate patron, PwC will be able to further develop this commitment to the environment by supporting WWT’s national network through its local offices. The partnership also provides much needed funding for WWT’s worldwide wetland conservation work.

John Creedon, Corporate Relations Manager, explains: “WWT is delighted to be working alongside PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is committed to playing a leading role in achieving a sustainable future. There is a strong match therefore between our work conserving wetlands worldwide and the vision and practices of PwC. This support will bolster our work further, helping us to build upon our vital conservation projects into the future.”

Richard Collier-Keywood, Managing Partner and Board Member with responsibility for Community Affairs at PwC, adds: “We aim to provide our staff with opportunities to support projects at the nine WWT UK wetland centres to develop their team building and leadership skills, as well as their understanding of the importance of wetlands on climate change and ecosystems. We will also encourage staff to link up with our local partner schools to work together on conservation projects at the centres.”

If you would like to discuss how WWT could work with your organisation contact John Creedon corporate relations manager on 01453 891 274 or john.creedon@wwt.org.uk.

Further information about PricewaterhouseCoopers can be found at http://www.pwc.co.uk

More than half (52 per cent) the people questioned would not swim in their local river because they think it is too polluted. That was the shocking finding from a survey carried out for the Blueprint for Water [1], a coalition of leading conservation groups including the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT).

The survey, carried out by ComRes [2], also found 97 per cent of people in England recognise that rivers, ponds, streams and lakes are a vital part of the countryside and 94 per cent of people often visit a stream, river or lake to relax or for leisure, but three-quarters feel that the water environment is at risk.

Carrie Hume, Head of Conservation Policy at WWT, said: “These findings show that people really value their local wetlands but are concerned by the poor state of many of them. WWT would like to encourage everyone to let the policy makers know your views on this issue. Right now we have an opportunity to shape vital future water policy and every opinion is valid and counts.”

The Environment Agency is currently asking for the public’s feedback on their Draft River Basin Management Plans. WWT is encouraging everyone who values wetlands to take part in the consultation and help shape future water policy. Guidance for anyone wanting to respond to the consultation is published on WWT’s website. The consultation runs until 22 June and WWT is asking people to copy their response to us, particularly if they think it is relevant to one of our centres.

Over the last two years WWT, as part of the Blueprint for Water coalition, has been urging the Government to take action to change the way we manage our water.

The Blueprint for Water coalition wants a country where we are less wasteful of our water; where we keep our rivers flowing, clean and healthy and our wetlands wet; where the water we use is priced fairly and polluters are made to pay; where our waste is properly treated and not washed straight into waterways. In 2006, coalition members handed Ministers a 10-step plan for improving the water environment for people and wildlife by 2015.

The Blueprint for Water will publish their third document ’2009 the time to act’ to coincide with World Water Day tomorrow (22 March). This publication sets out water priorities for 2009 and states that although significant progress has been made in some areas of water policy, there has been little progress in others.

The coalition is calling upon the Government to make the most of the new legislation on floods and water expected this spring, as well as key decisions on water company investment and implementation of the Water Framework Directive, to protect water for the benefit of both people and wildlife across the UK.

Notes
[1] – Blueprint for Water is a campaign of Wildlife and Countryside Link and is supported by the following 16 organisations:
Angling Trust
Association of Rivers Trusts
Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust
Campaign to Protect Rural England
Froglife
Institute of Fisheries Management
Marine Conservation Society
The National Trust
Pond Conservation
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Salmon & Trout Association
Waterwise
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust
The Wildlife Trusts
WWF- UK
Zoological Society London

For more information please visit www.blueprintforwater.org.uk or www.wcl.org.uk

[2] – ComRes interviewed 1009 English adults by telephone between 6th and 8th February 2009. Data were weighted to be representative demographically of all English adults. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Full tables of the results are available at www.comres.co.uk.

Future Water is the The Government’s water strategy for England and was published in 2008. This strategy sets out the Government’s long-term vision for water and the framework for water management in England.