Frequently Asked Questions

What area does Cheshire Wildlife Cover?
CWT operates throughout Cheshire, Halton, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Warrington and Wirral.

How can I become a member?
You can contact us direct or visit our Join Now page.

How many staff are there?
About 22, although many work part time. There are also several volunteers working one or more days per week at Bickley Hall Farm.

How can I arrange an Educational visit to my school?
Our People and Wildlife staff run educational visits to schools, and take school groups to visit our nature reserves. For more information look at the our Education pages

What do I do with injured wildlife?
CWT does not deal with injured wildlife. Casualties can be taken to:

RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Hospital,
London Road, Nantwich
Telephone 0870 4427102

or
Lower Moss Wood, School Lane, Ollerton, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 8SJ
Telephone/fax 01565 755082

If you find a fledgling which appears to be abandoned please leave it alone. Generally the parents are close by, and will return to feed it as soon as you move away. Only if the young bird is still alone after several hours, or is obviously injured, do you need to take action

How do I become a volunteer?
Volunteers are vital to the work of CWT. Look first at the volunteer opportunities listed on our website.
To find out more, or if you have other skills you think we could make use of please fill in a Volunteer form and send to Mark Ambrose, our volunteer coordinator, mambrose@cheshirewt.cix.co.uk

Can I get a job with CWT
Any current vacancies will be advertised on our website. If you are looking for a career in environmental conservation volunteering is a good way to gain experience – have a look at our volunteer opportunities page.

Planning Enquiries
We monitor planning applications for possible damage to wildlife and make objections where necessary.For more information contact our Planning Officer, Chris Driver.

If you think a developer is in breach of planning regulations in a way that threatens wildlife contact Natural England (Crewe offices 0300 060 2922).

We also offer advice to developers and land management services through our separate company of consultant ecologists. Go to the Consultancy page for details.

Can I visit Bickley Hall Farm
Bickley Hall Farm is our main office and a working farm, we do not have facilities to receive casual visitors. If you would like to visit we have a number of open days each year, the biggest one is our One Earth festival (4 th July 2010) when all are welcome. Organised groups can be given guided tours of the farm, by prior arrangement only (please email info@cheshirewt.cix.co.uk or call 01948 820728).

Are CWT nature reserves open to the public
Most of our nature reserves are open to the public, some are members only, and a few have very limited access due to the very fragile habitats or dangerous nature of the terrain. To find out more look at the pages for the individual reserves on our website.

There's too much frogspawn in my pond
Please do not move spawn between ponds, as this can transmit diseases. However crowded your pond may appear this is natural. Many animals feed on tadpoles, and numbers will be reduced to no more than your pond can support. To find out more about amphibians in gardens contact Froglife http://www.froglife.org/advice.htm

I've seen a polecat
Polecats have re-colonised most of Cheshire in the last 20 years. We are still interested in all sightings. To find out more and report a sighting look at the polecat pages on our website

How can I stop badgers digging in my garden?
This is almost impossible, badgers are strong enough to break through most fences. They are digging to find buried insects, this is generally short-term, and they will forage elsewhere as food becomes available in the countryside. For more information contact Cheshire and Wirral Badger Group

When is the best time to clear out a garden pond?
Garden ponds accumulate dead plant material and other detritus over time and you may want to clear it out every few years (annual cleaning out is generally not needed). The best time is late autumn, after tadpoles have metamorphosed and left the pond, and before pond creatures become dormant before the winter. If you can leave a small section of the pond un-cleared this can act as a refuge for pond life to shelter in.

For more information on ponds look at the Pond Conservation website

I would like an ecological survey done on my land
CWT has a commercial subsidiary Cheshire Ecological Services , who can do ecological surveys, provide advice and carry out ecological work.

I'd like advice on building a wildlife friendly garden
We have a range of downloadable wildlife friendly garden advice sheets available on our Wildlife Gardening page. If you need more specific information you can contact us and we’ll do our best to help.

I've seen a rare plant/bird/animal – who should I tell?
Record is the Local Biological Records Centre for the Cheshire region. They hold vast numbers of records of plant and animal life, both common and rare species, and many of them submitted by members of the public. They can also sometimes assist with the identification of species. If you have a photo of your species this makes identification much easier.

I've seen or suspect an illegal activity (badger digging, poaching, collecting birds eggs, etc.)
Contact the police wildlife crime officer. If you see activities such as badger digging do not approach the people yourself, they can be violent. Call the police immediately. If you can record car number plates or take photos without being seen do so, but do not put yourself at risk.

The Police Wildlife Liaison officer for Cheshire is Martin Findlow, 01244 614568