His Majesty decides not to get involved in rumpus over staff and volunteers shake-out at RSPB reserves

 

                                                           

Sign of the times - bird hides, such as this one at the RSPB's Insh Marshes reserve in Scotland, have been allowed to deteriorate

The King has decided not to become embroiled in the row over the cutbacks in staffing and facilities at the RSPB's network of reserves.

One of the affected  sites is Hertfordshire-located Rye Meads in  which the society wants to offload - preferably to another conservation organisation.

The proposal prompted Julie Murrell to launch a Save Our RSPB Reserves campaign which ncluded seeking intervention from King Charles who, as well as being a champion of the natural world,  is the RSPB's patron.

But, whatever his thoughts on the matter, His Majesty is not prepared to become involved in operational matters - least of all without full knowledge off all the facts.

                                            

King Charles III - patron of RSPB

His Head of Royal Correspondence has responded to Mrs Murrell thus:

"His Majesty is deeply committed to protecting the natural world, and the strength of your feelings is understood.

"Whilst the King has taken careful note  of your comments, I must explain that His Majesty is unable to help.

"I am sorry to send you a disappointing reply but trust that you will understand.

"The King would have me convey his warm good wishes to you, and to thank you once again for taking the time to write as you did regarding this matter."

With its controversial purge of activities, the society hopes to save £15-million a year.

In the coming months, other reserves will either be offloaded to other organisations, sold off or mothballed.

Cutting back on seed costs -  feeders are being left empty

Scores of reserve staff and volunteers will be made redundant or have their working hours reduced.

Some cafes, such as the one at Rainham in Essex, will be closed while others will be reduced to serving snack-only fare.

Retail outlets for the sale of books, greeting cards and optical equipment are also in the firing line as are  educational programmes for schoolchildren and special activities such as identification workshops and guided tours.

Despite the shake-up, chief executive Beccy Speight insists that the reserves remain the "beating heart" of the RSPB.

Affected staff and volunteers have been banned from discussing the management proposals on social media or elsewhere.     

Spelling it out - the RSPB posts the disappointing  news about its Rainham Marshes reserve on social media