MEMBERS of the RSPB have today received this email from the organisation's chief executive, Beccy Speight:
Like you, I’ve found these past few weeks incredibly challenging. We have all been worried about the health and welfare of our family, friends and our communities during this difficult time.
But with birdsong seemingly louder than it has ever been, I hope nature has been as great a source of comfort and interest for you as it has been for all of us at the RSPB.
With that in mind, I’m sure many of you will have listened to last night’s announcement and thought about when you might next head out into nature as our lockdown restrictions are gradually eased.
For the past few weeks we’ve been working in-step with all four of the UK’s country Governments to build safe reopening plans for our amazing network of sites. We have also been listening to our employees, volunteers, the local communities in which we live and work, and to you, our fantastic members and supporters. Listening to your views on what the right thing to do is and how we can make your return to RSPB reserves a safe and enjoyable experience.
It goes without saying that we are champing at the bit to get our nature reserves back up and running for their incredible wildlife and for you all to be able to enjoy them too. But returning from lockdown will not be easy and it won’t be simple.
The health and wellbeing of our employees, volunteers and all visitors to our nature reserves is our paramount concern.
We also have to make sure the wildlife that calls our sites home are ready to receive attention after a couple of months completely on their own. With reports of rare species nesting on and near busy paths, it's going to take us some time to make sure they are safe too.
As you will have heard we are also managing differences in approach to coming out of lockdown across the four countries of the UK, and possibly between regions too.
Because of this, we will be taking a gradual and phased approach over the coming weeks and will only be opening individual reserves when we are absolutely confident we can do so safely.
This will likely mean different sites reopening at different times, and with different levels of access and facilities. In order to avoid any disappointment, I would urge you to check our website for the latest information before making any visits.
As I write this, I can hear a blackbird calling. Above me, swifts have now joined the swallows and are back for another summer. These are all signs that even in these turbulent times our natural world is resilient and keeps on turning.
Thank you again for your patience – we've had some wonderful messages of support from you. We have tried to do our bit to help people connect with nature over the past few months and we are heartened that many of you have enjoyed our regular Breakfast Birdwatch and Dawn Chorus celebrations. While the pandemic is having a huge impact on our work and income, your brilliant support for our shared cause is a source of great strength for us all at the RSPB.
We will continue to keep you informed about our plans, but in the meantime please continue to follow all Government advice. We look forward to welcoming you back to our reserves as soon as we can safely do so.
Wishing you and your loved ones the very best of health,
Beccy Speight
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