Image of Photo of a watervole

College wins Wildlife Award

We have won the Wildlife Trust’s Best Wildlife Sighting at Work award for video footage of a water vole in Jesus Ditch, and a Highly Commended note for our new wildlife pond.

Water voles are notoriously elusive, but librarian Rhona Watson managed to shoot this footage early one morning on her way to work.

Our gardeners help to support wildlife throughout the year with the construction and placement of nest boxes for birds, safe sites for newts, as well as protection for a host of wildflowers that are important food sources for bees. The Wildlife Trust run competitions each year to encourage people to become more aware of wildlife within their workplace and to actively take an interest.

Jesus College has approximately 27 acres of land on its main site, which includes a variety of wildlife habitats and a nature trail. Head Gardener Paul Stearn, Librarian Rhona Watson and IT Technical Support Officer Rob Spragg lead the College’s wildlife efforts and keep everyone up to date through a Facebook page.

Paul Stearn entered the competition on the College’s behalf. He said: “I am delighted. Many people should be thanked, not least Rhona Watson and Rob Spragg, as well as the Garden Team for their hard work, and the College community for its ongoing support.”

The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire is a voluntary charitable organization. Jesus College recently became a member of the trust, although the membership is separate from the contest.