The Countryside Regeneration Trust (CRT) has launched its 2025 Christmas Appeal – and this year, it’s all about helping one of Britain’s most vulnerable – and adorable – native mammals: the hazel dormouse.
The Shelter Belts for Hazel Dormice appeal aims to raise £6,000 to fund vital habitat restoration and install dormouse footprint monitoring tunnels across six CRT farms, including two in Dorset.
Once widespread across England and Wales, hazel dormice have seen a steep decline. According to the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme, populations have dropped by 70% since 2000, and the species is now extinct in 14 counties where it once thrived. Officially classed as ‘vulnerable’ to extinction, recent research suggests dormice should be upgraded to ‘endangered’.
‘Hazel dormice are a powerful bioindicator,’ explains Ruth Moss, the CRT’s conservation and mapping officer. ‘They are sensitive to habitat fragmentation, so when they’re present, it means the surrounding area is supporting a wide range of other sensitive species too – bats, butterflies, amphibians and birds. Protecting dormice helps protect them all.’
They are active from late spring to early autumn in the trees and shrubs canopy, hibernating in nests on the ground over winter
Where funds will go
Across the six farms, 250 footprint tunnels will be installed to monitor dormouse presence without disturbing their habitat.
Footprint tunnels are a non-invasive way to detect dormouse activity. As they pass through the tunnel, they leave behind their tiny, distinctive prints, which can then be monitored.
How will they know the footprints are dormice? Hazel dormouse footprints are unique: small, about 1cm wide, with a rounded shape and distinctive triangular pads on their feet. The toe pads look similar to the pieces of pie in the Trivial Pursuit game. Footprints of wood mice and yellow-necked mice are made up of little spots rather than triangles.
Crucially, these surveys don’t require a dormouse licence and can be conducted at scale.
‘We need to raise £1,250 to do this. The rest of the money from our £6,000 appeal will go towards creating a shelter belt at Turnastone Court Farm in Herefordshire to form a woodland corridor habitat for dormice to move between woodland patches. We know they are present in some areas of the farm and want to help them connect to other areas. ‘This is a wonderful opportunity to give something meaningful this Christmas,’ says Ruth. ‘A £5 donation buys a footprint tunnel. Larger donations help create connected habitats, which benefit not only dormice, but also birds, hedgehogs, bats – even the farm’s livestock.’
The farms benefiting from the appeal include
Babers Farm and Bere Marsh Farm in Dorset. There are several ways to support the appeal:
Donate directly online
Buy the CRT’s 2026 wall calendar
Gift a CRT Friendship to someone special
Every donation helps reconnect woodlands, restore wildlife habitats, and protect the hazel dormouse – along with the many other species that rely on the same precious countryside.
thecrt.co.uk
