Biodiversity awards recognise efforts of Northumberland conservation officer

Sophie Webster, who manages the Catch My Drift project at the East Chevington reserve, was awarded second place in the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) 2020 Wildlife Recording Awards.

Sophie, from Hartburn, was runner up in the NBN Newcomer Award category for achieving an astounding amount in a short space of time thanks to her boundless energy and sheer hard work - from talking to over 700 people to running 35 different events and various drop in sessions.

With her team of volunteers and members of the public, Sophie has collected over 1,700 individual records of 438 different species, including some brand new ones in a 12–month period.

The Catch My Drift project is working to protect and revive threatened habitats and provide refuge for different species on the 185-hectare reserve.

Elaine More, Trust development manager said: “What Sophie has achieved in the past 12 months is outstanding.”

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