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Tony Haighway – the Director of Wolf Watch UK and the man who launched the project. The organisation is essentially a development of the wolf rescue work which Tony began by himself over 20 years previously and directly reflects his passion for their cause. The Wolf Centre itself is also Tony’s home and it is only through his huge investment in the project, both financially and personally that the wolves enjoy such a wonderful environment and that Wolf Watch UK exists at all.
A common assumption which is often made about the Wolf Watch UK team, is that it is a large organisation, maintained and directed by an array of full-time staff. In fact we have always been a very tiny group of friends and volunteer wolf enthusiasts, working and developing the project in our spare time since 1993.
It’s always been and remains a proud boast of WWUK, that none of the team in all this time has ever taken a wage of any kind from the project and it has always been conducted on a voluntary basis.
However, in 2008 the current management team started to embark upon a major new initiative.
Having strained at the limits of what we can achieve as a small group of volunteers for some time and despite our pride in the Wolf Centre, membership and other work we have done, we have untouched lists of development ideas for this fantastic project going back years.
We have now decided to trial a limited attempt at allowing a portion of the membership income to fund the team’s part-time investment in the project. Subject to review and the current personal circumstances of the core team, we are attempting to develop Wolf Watch UK further by investing in the closer involvement of its key people.
There will still be no fat cats on the Wolf Watch team. Only by achieving increased success and revenue to the project itself, will a limited percentage of this then be allowed to fund part-time involvement.
We know to date we have achieved a lot more with our limited resources than many larger groups have appeared to accomplish with greater funds and facilities.
In funding our own part-time - then hopefully full-time - core team, we anticipate nothing less than seeing Wolf Watch UK become a world class Wolf Centre second to none. We already know that on many important levels we are already world class and world leaders in working with wolves, but we would like to develop those parts of the project that inevitably require the full-time investment of staff.
This has been a decision we have agonised over for some time and not taken lightly. If after a limited period it seems that this investment has not made a difference, we are all agreed to revert back to our previous purely voluntary state.
Deb Sewards, BSc – runs the entire membership and handles virtually all the correspondence as well. Bringing her great enthusiasm Deb has very successfully applied her organisational skills to maintain the WWUK systems in fine order, as well as applying new ideas and improvements. She has taken the plunge into self employment putting her administration skills to good use and enabling her to pursue her conservation ambitions as well - www.lonewolfadministration.co.uk.
During the last 15 years, we have often found ourselves being referred to by government, educational and private organisations who require qualified opinions, advice or skills in respect of wolf related matters. There are indeed team members with many years of practical experience and knowledge concerning wolves because of our work, with a number of the team possessing formal animal/zoology qualifications.
It has been an indication of our success and dedication to our work that we are privileged to enjoy an enviable reputation. Such standards demand a lot from our tiny team, but in fairness we set our own benchmark and we are determined to maintain it and indeed to develop the project further.
All the literature, magazines, packs, videos, website, merchandise and even the enclosures have literally been produced by the hands of our small team. Often with regular support from professionals, craftspeople, artists and ordinary animal conservationists who have been caught up in the enthusiasm of our work. If you look through this site you will come across many references to these people who have and continue to contribute their skills.
In many ways our organisational structure has been likened to that of a wolf pack and not always in the kindest sense. But the truth is, as volunteers we have no hard and fast titles or structures by which we operate. We naturally rely on the goodwill and effort of all the team and allow each other to set their own levels of involvement and commitment.
Helen Trotman, BSc – first came to the project as a raw enthusiastic student. She soon demonstrated herself to be a practical, dedicated and talented part of the team. From fences to maintaining adoption membership and creating literature at the centre, she has also been working abroad on several wolf projects including the Mexican Wolf reintroduction scheme in the US and a study project in Poland. She has returned to us having began work as a People and Wildlife Officer at the The Shropshire Wildlife Trust, a role which she is amply qualified for.
We would be the first to recognise that our structure is far from perfect and we are constantly seeking ways to improve ourselves within the limitations of our resources. Over the years however, we have become quite clear about certain key issues having observed and been advised by conservation colleagues, who work within other projects.
These key issues for us concern minimal paperwork and human bureaucracy, which we feel squanders the resources of conservation and too often is simply used as an excuse for providing the human element with a sumptuous living. None of us got into wolf conservation to spend our time form filling and debating in endless committee meetings. We dig ditches, build fencing and talk to people about wolves and our work. We actually do things and get things done directly; there isn’t anyone else to do it.
So, we have no rigid committee and we have consciously avoided charity status on the advice of other conservation groups who have indicated the high degree of resources required to just maintain such systems.
Put simply, we continue to do it because we want to and we keep doing it because we enjoy the project.
Current WWUK Management Team
The current core management team which has been working since the launch of Wolf Watch UK, consists of Tony Haighway, Deb Sewards and Helen Trotman. We also receive regular support from Neil Ewart (one of our Patrons and Guide Dog Breeding manager), Benjy Esterson (web site technical support and contributions), Ian Spencer (general organisation).
There are many other supporters of the project both past and present who have made significant contributions to the development of Wolf Watch UK and all of them deserve mention but are too numerous to acknowledge here.
Click here to see acknowledgements to all the supporters of Wolf Watch UK past and present!
Want To Join The Team?
If you feel the swelling of wolf passions and would like to offer your spare time to support the work of the management team at Wolf Watch UK, please utilise the email links via this web site and let us know what skills you feel you would like to contribute.
Photography by Chris Cray
© Wolf Watch UK
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