Formby's famous red squirrels to feature on special feature for the BBC tomorrow night.....

National Trust’s Formby reserve Martin Dougan talks to CBBC's Newsround about the red squirrels fight fro survival and will feature on CBBC's Newsround tomorrow when youngsters get an insight into the world of Lancashire’s red squirrels population.

Lancashire Wildlife Trust’s Red Squirrel Project Officer Rachel Miller will speak about how the red squirrels on the Sefton Coast have managed to beat a deadly virus which threatened to wipe them out about 10 years ago.

And the squirrels have now fought back with the population reaching 80 per cent of its pre-pox figures.

Newsround presenter Martin Dougan met Rachel Miller at the National Trust’s Formby reserve to discuss the state of the iconic Lancashire species and how they have been affected by grey squirrels.

Rachel said: “I was interviewed and then the film crew went to look for squirrels. We had seen quite a few before they arrived but they weren’t around much during the early part of filming. Then, all of a sudden, lots of squrrels appeared so the crew should have some brilliant shots.”

Newsround will go out on the CBBC Channel between 7.40am-8.15am. For more information about Rachel’s work go to http://www.lancswt.org.uk/redsquirrels.

Recently there have been sightings of red squirrels in Knowsley, Rainford, Bickerstaffe, Skelmersdale and at the Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve at Mere Sands Wood near Rufford.

Rachel works in partnership with Red Squirrels Northern England; Red Squirrel Survival Trust; National Trust; Natural England; Sefton Council; Sefton Coast Partnership; Forestry Commission and the University of Liverpool.

Story Source: Southport Visitor