Grasmere Gingerbread® has released a Pine Marten Collectible to celebrate the reintroduction of this critically endangered animal into the southern forests of the Lake District.
Hand-stitched and featuring a liveried Grasmere Gingerbread® parcel in a shoulder harness, its launch coincides with a special conference about the mammal at the Ambleside Campus of the University of Cumbria on Friday 23 October.
Joanne Hunter, co-director of Grasmere Gingerbread®, hoped the souvenir would raise awareness about the pine marten’s vital role in the ecology of the Lake District.
“As pine martens have a part to play in helping to control numbers of invasive grey squirrels – which have negatively impacted our population of indigenous red squirrels – we are delighted to champion the return of this beautiful mammal to local woodlands,” she said.
Led by the University of Cumbria, the South Cumbria Pine Marten Recovery Project has reintroduced Scottish pine martens into forested county locations over the last two years.
Jess Stevens, Project Officer, is delighted with the success of the reintroduction and eight kits were born this year to swell the overall population to 58.
“While the original pine martens were released into south Cumbria, they have since spread across the county,” she explained.
“They are now linking up with populations of pine martens in Kielder and Northumberland which is essential for their longer-term survival.”
Pine martens were once abundant throughout the UK and, indeed, Cumbria recorded regular pine marten sightings until about 30–50 years ago.
However, their range shrunk to just the Scottish Highlands because of persecution and habitat loss.
Grasmere Gingerbread® delivered freshly baked slices of its spicy-sweet treat to the Ambleside conference which was enjoyed by pine marten experts, delegates, students and volunteers involved in its protection.
Alice Nuttall and Robyn Lancaster, University of Cumbria
The Grasmere Gingerbread® Pine Marten Collectible is available at:
https://www.grasmeregingerbread.co.uk/product/grasmere-gingerbread-pine-marten
