Secret Squirrel

17th October 2025

Week seven done. One more week to go before the half term. I know that this particular half term is longer than others and it can feel something of a drag, particularly when the nights are lengthening, the bugs are becoming more prevalent and coughs and colds can drain somewhat. Thank you for your efforts in getting yourself or your child this far and, as you’d expect me to say, one last push and let’s get through next week successfully, before many of us get a chance to have a restful few days break.

Occasionally, through these messages, there is mention of a special day which we should be celebrating and recognising (surely you remember World Top Hat Day?). Many of these special days are celebrated at the national and international level. Some of them are quite ridiculous.

However, a new one on me this year. Did you know that in the UK we are officially in squirrel awareness month? Now that did make me smile but then I did a little digging. Essentially, the campaign is to ensure that environments are protected and maintained to allow the indigenous red squirrels to survive, and if possible, prosper. The grey squirrel, which is an invasive species from North America (at least Europe and the channel crossing can’t be blamed for that!), is now the dominant squirrel species in the UK. It consumes more of the resources and dominates the habitats where the red squirrel once prospered.

A quick shout out to 4NS at Sitwell Junior School, who are known as the squirrels – we definitely want to support those little ‘squirrels’ – their habitat seems pretty good and Mrs Nixon and Mrs Smith work hard to protect and nurture their brood.

What should I conclude? It’s not going to be something about the dominance of a ‘cousin’ from across the Atlantic. I’d like to focus on the call to action. There have been so many recent stories of the impact of small actions in localities having a wider impact.

(see Green Sea Turtles https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg426qqqqnro)

We can and do make a difference. Every positive action, however small, does have an impact. The weight of a million grains of sand is going to tip the scales in our favour. At this time in history, it can become over-whelming when we think about all those issues which we collectively face. Maybe that’s not the way to look at it. Maybe we should just see lots of small problems that need our support and fixing, not one huge insurmountable problem.

We won’t be able to fix the red squirrel conundrum by seeing the solution as national. We might just be able to step by step, tree by tree, park by park, create habitats where red squirrels can prosper. Over time positive change does happen, and you are the agent of that change.

‘If we had a keen vision of all that is ordinary in human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow or the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which is the other side of silence.’ George Eliot