Plea for help saving animal

It grows no more than 9cms in length and weighs less than an egg - but soon the Hazel Dormouse could disappear from Shropshire altogether.

The tiny mammal, which is the only dormouse native to Britain, is classed as "critically endangered" by The People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES).

In a bid to save the creature for future generations the wildlife charity is now calling on volunteers across the county to help support a new initiative to boost the threatened hazel dormouse population in Shropshire.

The Hedgerows for Dormice campaign aims to improve habitat for a range of woodland scrub species that depend on hedgerows.

This not only includes the hazel dormouse but also other species such as the hedgehog, harvest mouse, polecat and birds and insects, which have been identified as priorities under the UK's Biodiversity Action Plan.

Under the project, PTES is holding a hedgerow survey workshop on June 25 from 10am until 4pm at Preston Montford Field Studies Centre, Montford Bridge, near Shrewsbury.

Volunteers will learn how to survey and map the presence, quality and health of hedgerows using an adaptation of the standard Defra method.

By the end of the workshop, the trained volunteers will be able to assist with the mapping of hedgerows known dormouse 'hotspots' in Hope and Habberley Valley, Clun, Wenlock Edge, Cranleigh/Ockley and Dedham Vale.

Jim Jones, Hedgerows for Dormice project officer at PTES said: "These surveys in dormice hotspots are an important first step in identifying and assessing hedgerows that link known dormice populations, in order for us to deliver management advice and engage in practical action to improve their condition.

"In doing so, volunteer surveyors play a crucial role in helping PTES contribute to the fulfilment of targets under both the Hazel Dormouse Species Action Plan and the Hedgerows Habitat Action Plan."

To book a place on the course, email jim@ptes.org or call 0207 498 4533.