Ranger role brings fresh momentum to Wall’s nature recovery
Welcome reinforcement for Hadrian’s Wall project. Tony Henderson reports.
Nature recovery in the Hadrian’s Wall area has taken a step forward with the recruitment of a specialist ranger.
The role, created thanks to funding from The Squires Foundation, will help deliver and expand the ambitions of the Hadrian’s Wall: Recovering Nature project.
Jonny Snape, former ranger on the Hadrian’s Wall National Trail, has been appointed to the role, bringing with him a strong background in conservation.
He said: “This role has opened my eyes to the bigger picture of conservation - from practical skills like flood management and habitat restoration to working closely with farmers, landowners, and partners.”
The animal and conservation biology graduate will contribute to the long-term recovery and resilience of habitats in the Greenlee Lough and Stonefolds areas.
Working with local communities and young people, Jonny will recruit and train volunteers to collect data on wildlife and habitats, helping to monitor the impact and benefits of nature recovery across the landscape.
He will also support the Hadrian’s Wall Wetlands: Landscape Recovery project, which aims to transform over 11,000 acres of farmland and forest — an area four times the size of Kielder Water — into a connected landscape for wildlife, people, and climate resilience.
The role will support the implementation of species and habitat recovery plans, ensuring the story and benefits of nature-based land management are shared with communities and visitors.
Much of this work will be delivered through The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre and its targeted engagement and learning programme, which supports hard-to-reach groups, schools, colleges, and universities, as well as visitors to Hadrian’s Wall and Northumberland National Park.
Christine Venus, director, park management, at Northumberland National Park Authority, said: “Thanks to the support of The Squires Foundation, this role will help us deepen our work with communities, gather robust evidence on nature recovery, and bring the story of this landscape to life for thousands of people. It’s an investment in both biodiversity and people.”
The Squires Foundation is a family-run charitable trust that supports local organisations and strengthens communities across Tyneside. It focuses on helping disadvantaged groups, empowering young people, and funding cultural and environmental projects to create a fairer, more vibrant region.
The Squires Foundation donation of £82,500 will help fund the role for three years.
Foundation secretary Matthew Squires said: “We are proud to back this important work. By combining conservation with education and inclusion, the Nature Recovery Ranger will help create a healthier natural environment and a stronger connection between people and place.”
Really solid approach linking habitat restoartion to community engagement. The part about training volunteers to gather wildlife data is smarter than it seems, cause it builds local ownership of conservation outcomes over time instead of parachuting in experts. I've seen similiar programs flounder when they skip that step and just focus on the ecological side. Connecting 11,000 acres for climate resilience is ambitious tho, maintaing that kind of interconnected landscape requires sustained funding that often dries up after initial grants.