Somerset Wildlife Trust has announced an urgent appeal for £35,000 to help secure a positive future for the county's dormice in the face of possible extinction at sites such as Black Rock Nature Reserve in Cheddar.

Through regular surveying, the trust knows that dormice are present at Black Rock but despite once being common, in the last 100 years, the native hazel dormouse has become extinct in 17 English counties, with recent UK reports showing that their numbers have declined by 51 per cent in just 18 years.

Somerset could easily be the next county to lose its dormouse populations unless positive action is taken now to make their habitats safe, and to provide the best conditions in which these vulnerable, and adorable, little mammals can thrive, now and in the future.

Somerset Wildlife Trust is urging wildlife and nature lovers in Somerset and beyond to donate what they can to support additional woodland management and monitoring programmes needed in the county, before Somerset's dormice are lost without a trace.

Dormice declines are linked to the loss of habitat and decreasing traditional woodland management practices.

Across Britain, just three per cent of woodlands are today being managed using traditional management techniques such as coppicing and hedge-laying, while in the 1940s, that figure was almost 50 per cent.

Senior reserves manager, Chris Eyles, said: "Dormice need well-managed, connected woodlands through which they can safely move to find food, breed and have secure places to hibernate - something that is already becoming increasingly problematic for them as we continue to see the impacts of a warming climate.

"Milder winters can sometimes cause dormice to waken from hibernation before adequate food sources are available.

"Woodland habitats are disappearing all over the country, so dormice populations are becoming fragmented and their future in Somerset looks uncertain.

"Traditional techniques such as coppicing, thinning and hedge-laying enable us to maintain a balance of healthy habitats in our woodlands, and provide the perfect conditions within which dormice can thrive.

"But we have a huge amount to do. We need your help to do more and faster."

Through regular surveying the trust knows dormice are present on several trust nature reserves, including Langford Heathfield and Black Rock, but there are plenty more with great potential which are currently not being surveyed.

In fact, there are currently only 28 dormouse survey sites across all of Somerset, which is not sufficient to get enough baseline data to understand the true health of the county's dormouse population.

With more funds, the trust can install more dormouse nest boxes and train new volunteers to regularly survey these sites, so dormice have the best chance of breeding success in the years to come.

Chris said: "Donations to the Dormouse Appeal will help us create ideal dormouse habitat, enable us to install more nest boxes and train more volunteers to carry out regular dormouse surveys to collect vital data about their health, so please do help if you can.

"Every donation, whatever the size, will make a real difference. To donate to the Dormouse Appeal, please visit the Somerset Wildlife Trust website via the red button below or telephone 01823 652429."