Three new members of staff have joined the Secret World Wildlife Rescue team this month.

Gemma Clark has been appointed as the Fundraising and Events Coordinator, Laura Durrant as the Community and Regular Giving Fundraising Officer and Ellie Wallace as the Learning and Engagement Officer.

Samantha Hannay, Head of External Relations at Secret World, said: “Secret World is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year and has been undergoing a number of changes to secure its future. Educating children and adults alike to develop an empathy for wildlife is a key part of what we do so that future generations can care for these animals as much as we do.

“With Secret World rescuing over 5,000 wild animals and birds each year, raising funds and engaging the public and our local communities is more important than ever to ensure we have the financial resources to continue rescuing and caring for wildlife.”

Gemma Clark, the new Fundraising and Events Co-ordinator, has a background in music events management and is a self-professed lover of all animals. She said: “I really wanted to work for Secret World and had been keeping an eye on their vacancies for some time. When this job came along it was too good an opportunity to miss.

“I’m really looking forward to bringing a fresh approach to fundraising and events at Secret World. I’m also keen to better engage our supporters on our digital channels.”

Laura Durrant, the new Community and Regular Giving Fundraising Officer, used to work in the PR team at the Great Western Air Ambulance. She said: “Up until now, my work has been focused on improving the lives of people but I wanted a new challenge. Now I will work to improve the lives of animals and I am very excited about it.

“I want to ensure that we build a strong community of support around Secret World and I want to foster long-term relationships with our donors and supporters.”

Ellie Wallace takes over from Ceri Cambridge as the Learning and Engagement Officer. Before joining Secret World, Ellie used to be the Learning Officer at the American Museum in Britain in Bath but she wanted to return to environmental education. She said: “I think Secret World has a lot of valuable lessons to teach to children. I’m really keen to strengthen the brand of our educational capabilities and encourage more learning visits to the site.”

Samantha Hannay said: “I am delighted to be welcoming fresh minds into the team in this period of change for the charity. I’m very much looking forward to hearing their ideas and input on how we strengthen our relationship with communities and develop our learning programmes in the future.

”We are currently trying to fill animal care vacancies and are also desperate for volunteers after what has been a record intake in wildlife casualties the past few weeks. I would urge anyone who would like to work with animals, even for just a few hours a week, to apply through our website: www.secretworld.org.”

Ends

Notes to editors:
About Secret World Wildlife Rescue
– Secret World Wildlife Rescue is one of the South West’s leading wildlife rescue charities (charity number 1097119) based in East Huntspill in Somerset.
– Now in its 25th year, Secret World Wildlife Rescue cares for more than 5,000 sick, injured and orphaned animals each year.
– As well as being a respected source of expertise and a centre of excellence where British wildlife receives the best care, Secret World has an extensive volunteer programme and engages with schools to promote respect for wildlife and the environment, adding further benefits to the local community.
– As Secret World does not receive any government funding, it relies entirely on the generosity of supporters and donors to carry out this important work for British wildlife.
– The charity’s website is www.secretworld.org

For media information, please contact:
Sarah-Jane Freni
Shooting Star
07939 217319
sarahjane@weareshootingstar.co.uk
[SWWR19NewStaff]