THE Sewing Bee's Patrick Grant has launched a Yorkshire Dales-based wildlife charity's fundraising calendar.
Mr Grant, a judge on the popular BBC programme, The Great British Sewing Bee, is a patron of Yorkshire Dales Wildlife Rescue, and lives in the Dales.
And, he has recorded an online message in support of the trust and its volunteers who have seen a third more animals admitted this year.
He says: "This year has been horrendous for nature. Record-beating temperatures, drought and wildfires made life extremely difficult for most wild creatures and, for many, nigh on impossible.
"The team at Yorkshire Dales Wildlife Rescue have, in their inimitable style, risen to the challenge.
"This year, their volunteers have committed over 4,000 extra hours to tend to all the animals coming to their door. With a third more animals admitted compared to last year, the charity's need is greater than ever.
"They need more medicines, more food and more equipment to keep up with demand. 100 per cent of the money raised from this calendar will help fund this life-saving work. Please buy as many as you can."
Penny Hunt, the rescue's co-founder, added: “Whilst the precious animals featured in the calendar are just a tiny sample of the many hundreds of patients we have admitted this year, they show the huge range of species we care for in our animal hospital.
“In 2025, we admitted 750 animals. This year, we have already admitted way over that - 930 animals between January and September. We work extremely hard to give each animal the best possible care but, along with the additional pressure of more patients, comes lots of additional costs. The sale of every single calendar will go directly towards helping save the life of a wild animal.”
A very cute baby hedgehog starts the year off for January, while a curlew takes the February slot, and a baby badger is March.
They are followed by cuckoo, April; baby polecat, May; baby goosander, June; duckling, July; red kite, August; baby hares, September; tawny owlets, October; fawn, November; and young barn owls, December.
The calendar has been sponsored by 12 businesses including Ashlands Vets in Ilkley.
Jane Carpenter, co-founder of the wildlife rescue, said: “We are truly grateful to every one of our sponsors. Without their support this project would not have happened.
“It’s fantastic to have so much support from right across the region, and beyond. We hope everyone loves the calendar - it’s the perfect Christmas gift!”
Calendars can also be bought directly from YDWR’s website (mail order only, within the UK) at yorkshiredaleswildliferescue.com/product-page/2027-calendar; where there is also a list of stockists.
The charity - formerly Craven Wildlife Rescue - has some of the best release figures in the country, at 74 per cent for 2025.
The UK national average is 42.6 per cent.
It was founded by Penny Hunt and Jane Carpenter in 2019 and has grown quickly from a home-based operation to a professional wildlife hospital, with some of the best release rates in the country.
The organisation, based at the former Horton-in-Ribblesdale Primary School, became a charity in 2024.
See the video at: https://www.yorkshiredaleswildliferescue.com/post/a-plea-from-patrick
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