A BLANCHLAND man’s fight to save the iconic red squirrel from a lingering death has received enthusiastic backing from one of Britain’s best known naturalists.

Former Tynedale Rugby Club player Don Askew was one of the founders of the Wildlife Ark Trust, which raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for pioneering work to develop a vaccine that would tackle the parapox virus – the deadly bug passed on to the native red squirrels by the American grey squirrel.

An effective vaccine candidate was discovered in 2012 – but more cash is needed to modify the vaccine to help save the iconic animals.

Now, the Ark Trust has now launched an appeal on the JustGiving website to raise the £189,000 needed to develop the vaccine – and the plea has been supported by naturalist and host of BBC’s Springwatch Chris Packham.

The presenter said: “If you value our native wildlife you should support the Wildlife Ark Trust’s JustGiving appeal.

“Normally, concerned members of the public have to wait patiently, sometimes very patiently, for the Government to get its act together before any action is taken to protect our wildlife.

“On this occasion, readers can immediately influence the outcome of this major conservation effort to save our red squirrels.

“The red squirrel is one of our flagship animals and, as such, its fate will be a major factor in determining the future well-being, or otherwise, of our other less charismatic species that are also under threat.

He added: “I’ve had the privilege and pleasure to have been supporting the Wildlife Ark Trust for the past five years.

“It has been pioneering in its approach to red squirrel conservation, keenly and successfully exploring an intelligent and forward-thinking approach to the crisis affecting this species - the development of a vaccine to protect it against the squirrelpox virus.”

Approximately 95 per cent of the already endangered red squirrels that become infected with the virus die a particularly horrible death. They develop raw, painful lesions through which they contract fatal, secondary infections or, blinded by the lesions, they starve to death.

In 2006, the Ark Trust started to raise funds to enable the Moredun Research Institute at Penicuik in Scotland to start work on developing a vaccine to protect the red squirrels against the deadly virus.

Although the damage the disease was doing to the native red squirrels was well known, no Government or conservation organisations were taking any steps to combat the virus.

However, the Ark Trust managed to raise enough money to allow vital research to start in 2009, and over the next three years, raked in £300,000.

By the end of 2012, an effective vaccine candidate had been discovered, but it was not the finished article, and now needs to be modified.

Ark Trust chairman Bob Wilkin said: “We are optimistic that if enough people become aware of the appeal then we can hit our target.

“What we are hoping is that if the message about the Wildlife Ark Trust appeal on JustGiving can get enough publicity then it will go viral; the only difference being that on this occasion a ‘virus’ will be saving the red squirrels instead of killing them.

“We are not asking for donations - although obviously it would be marvellous if anyone wanted to donate - but merely that Hexham Courant readers would be kind enough to let their friends know about the Wildlife Ark Trust appeal and that those friends then let their friends know about it, and so on.”

Visit the Wildlife Ark Trust page on Just Giving for more information at https://goo.gl/ttGuBj