A prestigious Community Award has been given to Ringwood and Poulner Toad Patrol by Ringwood Town Council.
The only such Community Award given out by the Council this year, it recognises the importance of the local toad population and the efforts of the patrol to help them survive migration.
The award was presented at the Annual Town Assembly on May 14th at Ringwood Town Council’s Gateway offices. It was given by the Town Mayor, Councillor Rae Frederick, to Nicola Yorke, the manager of Ringwood and Poulner Toad Patrol, and to Teresa Baker, who first set up the patrol in 1989.
“We’re incredibly proud that our efforts have been recognised in this way by the Town Council,” said Nicola Yorke. “It’s a great tribute to our fantastic fifty-strong team of volunteers who are ready to take turns every evening from mid-January to well into April to help toads safely across a busy rural road as they migrate down to Blashford Lakes to breed and lay their eggs. I have been lucky to see first-hand the wonderful work the Toad Patrol volunteers do, helping toads safely reach the lakes,” said Councillor Frederick. “It’s a touching reminder of the care and commitment people in this town show — not just to each other, but to our local wildlife and the environment too.”
Populations of common toads are declining across the UK, and they face great dangers when they crawl slowly across busy roads in the breeding season.
Registered with the wildlife charity Froglife, who coordinate toad patrolling throughout the UK, the Ringwood patrol has been going for 36 years. Volunteers take turns to drive slowly along the road from dusk until 11 pm, stopping to pick up toads and carry them across the road so they can safely continue their journey down to the water’s edge. The patrol route runs from the North Poulner crossroads up to the Moyles Court ford below Rockford Common.
“Loss of habitat and changing weather patterns are affecting amphibian populations badly,” said Nicola Yorke. “But the particular route we look after can be especially dangerous for toads, newts and frogs, where they risk being killed under the wheels of cars and vans. So it’s more important than ever that we do all we can to help them, and we hope that this community award from the Council will help to increase local understanding and support still further.”
Anyone interested in volunteering can get in touch via email rptoadpatrol1@gmail.com
