NEWS RELEASE

WILL YOU BE OUR AMBASSADOR FOR ANIMALS?
 
Do you care about Britain's wildlife heritage and would you like to be an "Ambassador" for the animals?

 Wildlife Aid, the Leatherhead-based charity, is looking for people who are passionate about defending wild animals and want to do something tangible to promote the charity's mission of respect for nature.

A new initiative is being introduced this autumn called Wildlife Ambassadors - and the charity is hoping that a network of Ambassadors can be recruited across Surrey and beyond to advance the wildlife cause.
 
"The idea behind Wildlife Ambassadors," says the charity's founder Simon Cowell MBE, "is that we bring in people from different walks of life who are willing and able to champion Wildlife Aid in their community, their business or profession, and who can support us by helping to raise funds in their own neighbourhoods or workplaces and among their networks of contacts.
 
"Being a Wildlife Ambassador is about using your skills and your contacts to serve a really important cause - that of protecting our precious and endangered wildlife heritage. Forget fancy medals or uniforms with gold braid.. Being one of our Ambassadors is all about representing the creatures that can't speak up for themselves - Britain's wildlife! Though if you want to hold fundraising events for us and pass around the Ferrero Rocher, we won't stop you!"
 
Simon is hoping that he will be able to recruit a wide range of people to take on an Ambassadorial role for the charity - and that each one will be able to recruit others in turn, as well as raising much-needed funds. "This is not just about sustaining our current work in these difficult economic times but also achieving our longer term - but increasingly important - vision of creating a new, nationally and internationally significant, environmental education centre. And for that we need funds and a new, much larger, site that we currently have."
 
"It is a big challenge, but one that is possible with dedication and enthusiasm. There are many different ways that Wildlife Ambassadors can help us, for instance by encouraging friends, neighbours and work colleagues to support Wildlife Aid, by organising a fundraising event or initiative, putting together a syndicate of supporters to generate funds for the charity, or simply by making regular personal donations themselves."
 
Simon, who also presents the longrunning TV documentary series Wildlife SOS, plans to announce the first Wildlife Ambassadors in the autumn and then to officially launch the initiative in the new year. So, if you love animals and think you've got what it takes to be a Wildlife Ambassador, and would like to find out more about what the role involves, please call Simon for a chat on 01372 377332 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  
 
 
Editor's notes: Founded 29 years ago, Wildlife Aid is now one of the largest wildlife rehabilitation centres in the UK. Dealing with more than 20,000 wildlife incidents a year – ranging from road traffic accidents to cases of deliberate cruelty – the charity has developed an unrivalled expertise in all aspects of wildlife care and protection. The charity’s centre in Randalls Road, Leatherhead, is open 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Its aim is to treat, rehabilitate and then return its patients to the wild. Thanks to the care and dedication of its volunteers, the charity’s success rate is extremely high. No injured, sick or orphaned wild animal is ever turned away.
  

Media contact: Andy Smith on 07737 271676.
 
Pictured: Simon Cowell MBE, founder of Wildlife Aid, with an orphan badger. The charity needs Wildlife Ambassadors to promote the cause of these creatures and Britain's other amazing wild animals.