When It Feels Like ‘Tough Going’, I Remember That UKWT Was Just An ‘Idea’ 5 Years Ago, And Already 1375 Animals Have Been Helped Because Of It…

I am starting to post more 'personal posts' to share a bit more, just as 'me', not as the organisation that is 'UK Wildlife Transporters'...

Running UK Wildlife Transporters feels very difficult at the moment. I want to share what it’s been like, to get to ‘here’…

It was just me who set UKWT up, in late 2020, and I’ve worked hard to keep it going.  It hadn’t been done before and that meant finding out how UKWT fitted in amongst the current UK legislation, then shaping our procedures accordingly.  It meant fundraising to pay for legal research and for our 15 page, official UKWT legal policy, from a specialist solicitors.

[And this legal policy has now been given, free, over the years, to anyone who has even thought about setting up a more local version of UKWT, and who has reached out to ask for advice, so that they could benefit from the steps that I had already taken, without having to find their own way, like I did].

When I realised how unregulated the Wildlife Rescue industry really was, in 2020, I could have closed UKWT - as it was almost impossible, at that time, to know where wildlife really could be taken to, for proper care - but instead myself and others united to put in 1000s of voluntary hours to create a self regulation scheme: to create a map (the Wildlife Care Badge Map) to know where UKWT could take wildlife to.

[This map, too, is now benefitting other organisations who also use it to know which Rescues to work with: a resource that wouldn’t have been available if I’d given up - and A LOT of people told me to, and told me that the Wildlife Care Badge would never work - back in 2020.  Over the last 4 years, I have also been putting together a hub of FREE downloadable resources, from which Vet Practices, Wildlife Rescues & other organisations download info most days: this hub wasn’t available in this way before, until I put it together, and now others are benefiting from it.  I am really quite pleased with that.]

UKWT has been an exploration/experience in and of itself…  I started off by coordinating transports & I have evolved our working structure twice, to now have settled on our current way of running (providing Drivers Teams to Wildlife Rescues & Vet Practices) that is helping 1000s more animals than was possible before, with only a very slight increase in our costs.  This way of running a national transport infrastructure, for the benefit of wildlife, is completely new.

We have, at time of writing, gone out to / transported 1375 animals to emergency care & a fair go at a second chance.

In 2026, it’s looking like we’ll receive up to 1500 transport requests (almost double last year).

This morning someone asked me if I could really keep UKWT going through another 5 years, because, to be honest, the ‘calmer time of year’ that I was hoping to be experiencing right now (as winter is meant to be our quietest time of year) has coincided with the WCB having a very busy start to the year, which is great, and UKWT having its busiest ever start to a year too.  We were open over Christmas & New Year too for the first time, and I’ve definitely felt the impact of not having a break over those few days.

Since August of last year, too (predominantly due to some changes that Facebook made, that have really effected us) donations have steadily dropped, leading me to ‘pause’ UKWT and start an emergency fundraiser, before Spring.  (I am also just one person, making these decisions: factoring in the pros & cons & hoping that the steps I choose to take lead to the best outcome - and people can be very quick to criticise, if the results aren’t as I hoped).

I’m sharing all of this because I want to express that I am just ONE human - one hopeful but fallible human - doing my best, and looking back at all that UKWT has done (and all that the Wildlife Care Badge has achieved too, up to this point) I don’t think that I’ve done too badly.

And when times are tricky is often when questions start coming in from those who haven’t taken every step along with me but who - coming from a good place in wanting to see UKWT succeed, which is appreciated - start to wonder if I should have worked harder/smarter, filled in more gaps quicker, found solutions faster (especially to funding) and packed our Drivers Database with more Drivers faster too.

I understand that from the outside it is easy to look at a specific action on my part and think “I would have done that differently” but when I’m in the middle of it all, with 5 years of data & experiences that others don’t have, having started UKWT from an idea (nothing more) and got it to this point, I stand by the steps that have been taken and that have brought us this far and that, I trust, will take us even further.

So what answer did I give to the person who asked me if I could really keep UKWT going & growing for another 5 years, because I’m working through the weekend to bring in funding and I’m tired?

Well…  What sprung to my mind at once, when they asked, was a picture that was taken at the Rescue, of a baby Pigeon whom we had just transported.  Their tiny, feathery world had fallen apart, and they and their sibling, huddled together, were transported to Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue a few days ago.  They had a rough start to life but ended up in a safe place, with those who wanted to fight for them.

So, without needing to hesitate, my answer was ‘Yes, I can keep UKWT going, for each animal that we get to help.’  Because every wild feathery, spiky, furry, scaly person, in trouble, who gets transported to a Wildlife Rescue who cares about them and who is set up to help them, makes it all make sense for me.

But, again, I am just one person.  So, if you can, help me to help more wildlife.  Please share our Driver Recruitment adverts, get in touch with me to ask to put up Driver Recruitment posters or become a monthly Donor, to keep us going.