Tom Shepherd, owner of Michelin restaurant Upstairs based in Lichfield is backing the charity’s Big Give Christmas appeal. All donations made between 12pm on Tuesday 3 December and 12pm on Tuesday 10 December will be generously doubled thanks to a national fundraising campaign and match funders*, resulting in twice the impact for local wildlife. 

All funds raised will go directly towards the costs of caring for the charity’s 45 nature reserves across the county. These span over 4,900 acres and include woodlands, heathland, wetland and moorland, all playing host to wildlife such as curlew, water voles and green hair streak butterflies. Most of these wild places are open to the public, with networks of footpaths and boardwalks enabling visitors to enjoy close encounters with nature. However, rising costs of materials and equipment, coupled with the challenges of climate change and the threat of invasive species are making the charity’s job much harder. 

Gentleshaw Common near Burntwood is an ancient heathland that supports over 100 species of bees and insects. It takes a dedicated team of staff and volunteers to keep bare areas of sandy soil clear from plants so they can nest and breed successfully. Meanwhile in the north, The Roaches near Leek hosts wading birds such as snipe and curlew. This iconic landscape attracts over 100,000 visitors every year. As well as improving the blanket bog here for wildlife, the Trust must also fund patrols of the area during summer months when there is a heightened risk of wildfire.

Tom says, “When I heard about the appeal, I was very keen to support The Trust. Living locally and getting outside as much as I can with my family makes me appreciate how important our wildlife really is.”

“As a chef, I have the privilege of working with some of the finest ingredient’s nature has to offer. With much of our food production relying on pollinators, we need nature more than most of us realise. Supporting our local nature reserves ensures these resources remain abundant—not just for chefs, but for everyone. We often visit these places without realising that there is a whole team of dedicated staff and volunteers working really hard to look after them, this appeal will make sure that they can continue the critical work they do for everyone to benefit, myself included.”

Jeff Sim, Head of Species Recovery and Nature Reserves at Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, says: “Each year the costs of maintaining and managing our wild places and equipping our dedicated team of staff and volunteers with vital equipment is increasing. 

“It is ever more important, but also challenging to do the work we need to do to give wildlife a future. While the wild places we care for are havens for wildlife, we need to do more work to improve them to support struggling species such as water voles, yellow hammers and curlew.

“Nature is being lost at an alarming rate with 1 in 6 species threatened with extinction and wildlife numbers plummeting. We’re working hard to not only protect but bring back those species at risk of being lost forever.

“We’re asking people to give what they can, every penny will help. Perhaps you’re struggling to know what to buy a loved one? You could donate in their honour instead of buying them something material, and know your gift will help future generations enjoy Staffordshire’s wildlife in years to come.”

*The charity must raise £9,000 of donations to unlock the match funding from The Reed Foundation.

Donations can be made via the Big Give’s website https://bit.ly/swtbiggive and must be made by 12pm on Tuesday 10 December to be doubled.