‘Wind in the Willows’ trailer: David Attenborough and Stephen Fry back nature campaign

A new campaign for The Wildlife Trusts has launched today, based on The Wind in the Willows.

The beautifully animated trailer (sadly it’s not for a real movie, although we would absolutely watch it if it was!) calls on everyone to help bring our wildlife back and secure a wilder future – before it’s too late.

Sir David Attenborough, Stephen Fry, Catherine Tate, Alison Steadman and Asim Chaudhry are amongst the famous names backing the campaign.

The two-minute film shows how the lives of Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad are affected by 21st century threats.

It’s just over 100 years since Kenneth Grahame wrote The Wind in the Willows and in the last 50 years alone, we know that over half of our species have declined – mainly due to climate change and habitat loss/degradation from farming or inappropriate development.

In the trailer, Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad are being disrupted by bulldozers, pollution and intensive agriculture. Their homes are being destroyed and broken up – and the wild landscape they need is a hostile and poisoned place.

These losses have led to the UK becoming one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.

Actor and QI host Stephen Fry, who voices Badger in the trailer, commented: “I’ve acted in and narrated Wind in the Willows in the past but this version is different – it really, really matters.

“I adore what’s left of Britain’s wild and precious places and I’m a passionate supporter of my local Wildlife Trust which is restoring a huge part of the fens for nature.

“We all need to get behind The Wildlife Trusts, rise up and call for a wilder future – otherwise it’ll be too late to save Toad, Ratty and all the residents of the riverbank and beyond.”

Watch the trailer:

Sir David Attenborough, President Emeritus of The Wildlife Trusts, said: “I am backing The Wildlife Trusts’ campaign to rally people to secure a “wilder future” by restoring large areas of wildlife habitat, in city and country.

“What we create may not look exactly like the countryside that Kenneth Grahame drew such inspiration from, but our wildlife won’t mind just so long as it has the places it needs to live and thrive.

“As a society we know how to put meanders back into straightened rivers and how to build bridges for wildlife. We know which wild places we should be protecting and expanding. But we need ambitious new laws to ensure we do this, laws that ensure we map out nature’s recovery.

“Meanwhile we can all make a practical difference. If you have a window sill or balcony you can put up bird feeders or plant pots of wildflowers.

“If you have a garden it is easy to dig a small pond or make holes in your fence for hedgehogs to wander through. It is not too difficult to take up paving slabs to let plants grow to feed our bees.

“Together we can make the next chapter for wildlife a happier one. Join us to put nature into recovery.”

Find out more about how to play your part in nature’s recovery at wildlifetrusts.org/wilder-future!