About Save Our Reds
Save Our Reds is working to keep red squirrels in Britain, not just in stories.
Founded in 2025 by journalist, conservationist and animal welfare campaigner Marie Carter-Robb (pictured with one of her dogs), Save Our Reds is a public campaign dedicated to safeguarding red squirrels and their woodland habitats across Great Britain.
The campaign is backed by a national petition supported by more than 100,000 people calling for stronger, practical protections and real conservation delivery on the ground.
Red squirrels were once a familiar sight across Britain. Today, they survive in a handful of woodland strongholds and, in parts of England, are perilously close to disappearing altogether.
Our message is simple: protection on paper is not enough. While it is illegal to kill a red squirrel, the woodland habitats they depend upon can still be damaged or lost with limited accountability, even in areas of recognised conservation importance.
The campaign’s ambassador is multi-award winning filmmaker Terry Abraham, creator of the BBC documentary Cumbria’s Red Squirrels, whose work has helped shine a national spotlight on the challenges facing the species.
Working Together
Save Our Reds believes the future of Britain’s red squirrels depends on collaboration. Across Great Britain, dedicated volunteers, local groups, conservation organisations, landowners, foresters, researchers and wildlife advocates are working tirelessly to protect red squirrels and restore the habitats they depend upon.
We do not seek to replace or duplicate existing conservation efforts.
Instead, Save Our Reds aims to amplify it by raising public awareness, supporting practical conservation measures, encouraging collaboration and giving people across Britain a stronger voice in the future of red squirrel conservation.
We are proud to work alongside a growing network of organisations and individuals, including:
- Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group
- South Lakes Red Squirrel Group
- Northumberland Red Squirrels
- County Durham Red Squirrel Group
- Anglesey Red Squirrel Project
- Canny Hill Woodland Project
- Alston Moor Red Squirrel Group
…alongside many independent conservationists, ecologists, landowners, foresters, researchers and wildlife advocates across Britain.
While different groups may have different priorities and approaches, we share a common goal: ensuring that future generations can continue to experience red squirrels as part of Britain’s living natural heritage, not simply as a memory or a story from the past.
Building for the Future
Save Our Reds became a registered Community Interest Company (CIC) in February 2026, strengthening its long-term foundations and commitment to community-led conservation.
The CIC provides the formal structure for the next phase of the campaign, helping us develop new projects, partnerships, educational initiatives, public engagement activities and practical conservation support.
Our vision is simple: thriving red squirrel populations, protected woodland habitats and a stronger future for one of Britain’s most iconic native species.
