Celebrities lead support for first ever lone female expedition to save swans

Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Sir David Attenborough head a list of hundreds of businesses, charities and individual supporters throughout Europe and Russia who are getting behind a unique expedition to save Europe’s smallest swan from disappearing.

Flight of the Swans will be the first ever attempt to follow the migration of the Bewick’s swan from the air. Setting off this September, Sacha Dench of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) will fly a paramotor from the Bewick’s swans’ breeding grounds in arctic Russia 7,500km across 11 countries before finishing at the swans’ final destination in the UK.

The paramotor is simply a wing of fabric, from which Sacha will dangle with a propeller strapped to her back. Flying at the same speed and height as the swans, she will experience the wonders and dangers the swans face including heavy storms, sea crossings and extreme cold. She will share their view with the world in real time using the latest digital camera technology and satellite communication.

Along the way, Sacha and her support team will meet with the communities that live along the swans’ flight path, including reindeer herders, farmers and hunters, and investigate why the number of Bewick’s swans in Europe has almost halved in the last twenty years with less than 18,000 now surviving.

Anyone can find out more about the expedition and sign up to support the Bewick’s swan at www.flightoftheswans.org

Sacha Dench said:

“I’m humbled by the support that Flight of the Swans has already gained. People all across Europe and Russia are using this expedition as a lever to improve things for the swans, which is all I could have hoped for.

“Each winter, I’m fortunate enough that a small flock of a couple of hundred Bewick’s swans returns to my workplace – WWT’s Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire, UK. To get there they need safe passage all the way from the northernmost wilds of Russia, and for the last two decades fewer and fewer have made it. It’s crucial that we act now before it’s too late.”

Sacha Dench contacted Dame Judi Dench, who plays M in the James Bond films, after a family member found out that they were related. Dame Judi said:

“Flight of the Swans is absolutely fascinating, full of adventure and passion. I’m proud to support it. We need to work together if we’re to help these beautiful birds, and I am looking forward to following the expedition”

The other Patrons of Flight of the Swans are: Kate Humble, Pen Hadow and Ann Daniels.

Companies and organisations lending support to Flight of the Swans include Mitsubishi, Rix and Kay Solicitors, Páramo Directional Clothing, The Met Office, Inmarsat, Team Bootcamp, Lazarus Training, Fresh Breeze Paramotors and Over Farm Microlights.

Flight of the Swans is being supported by conservation and education organisations in each country that the swans pass through: the Nenetskiy National Nature Reserve, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Baltic Fund for Nature in Russia, the Estonian Ornithological Society, Tartu Environmental Education Centre, the  Estonian University of Life Sciences in Estonia, the Museum of Natural History and the Nature Conservation Agency in Latvia, Birdlife Lithuania, the Nature Research Centre and the Lithuanian Ornithological Society and the Baltic Environmental Forum in Lithuania, the Gdansk Ornithological Station, Biebrza National Park, University of Łódzki, Polish Birds, and the Polish Society for the Protection of Birds in Poland, OAG - Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Schleswig-Holstein und Hamburg e.V. and Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU)  Germany, Vadehavet Wetland Centre in Denmark, Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie (NIOO-KNAW), Lauwersmeer Visitor Centre Staatsbosbeheer and Dutch Forestry and Nature Agency in the Netherlands, and  Province of West Flanders i.a.w. Agency for Nature and Forest Management (Het Zwin nature reserve) in Belgium. They are organising events to coincide with Sacha’s arrival. These meetings and workshops will help progress swan conservation throughout the swans’ range.

They are organising events to coincide with Sacha’s arrival. These meetings and workshops will help progress swan conservation throughout the swans’ range.

In addition several international bodies are supporting Flight of the Swans including: the Ramsar Convention, the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and Wetlands International.

Jacques Trouvilliez, Executive Secretary of AEWA, said:

“Flight of the Swans is not only likely to be a ground-breaking expedition revealing the extraordinary journey of one of AEWA’s iconic species, it will also be an excellent example of a flyway-scale awareness raising campaign, which will help to stimulate conservation action and international cooperation for the Bewick's Swan.

“If successful, it will also be beneficial to many other AEWA species and may even become a model for similar future initiatives across the African-Eurasian Flyway.”

Sacha Dench continued:

“WWT is incredibly grateful to the many people and organisations that have already generously supported Flight of the Swans. It’s wonderful to work with businesses, charities and individuals that have a genuine interest in the conservation and environmental issues we’re trying to address. We thank them for their terrific contribution.”

Partner and supporter quotes

Mitsubishi Motors UK is providing support vehicles for the expedition. Toby Marshall, Sales & Marketing Director for Mitsubishi Motors UK said:

“When we found out what Sacha and her team were aiming to do, we really wanted to be able to get behind such a worthwhile, courageous and inspirational expedition. Our vehicles will give the team essential support across the rugged terrain that they will surely encounter over 4,500 miles from the arctic tundra back to the Bewick’s swans’ winter home at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire. We’re looking forward to seeing some incredible footage!”

Rix & Kay Solicitors is providing dedicated legal support for the project. Bruce Hayter, Rix & Kay’s Managing Partner said:

“We are immensely proud to have been asked to support WWT and Sacha Dench’s inspired adventure. The Flight of the Swans is a truly unique project with the potential to do so much to protect the future of the iconic Bewick’s Swan.

“We are already working hard to support Sacha Dench and her team by putting in place all the necessary requirements to deal with the many challenges ahead. The logistics of supporting a project of this nature and ensuring the team are protected from a legal perspective is our primary focus. We are delighted to be able to help make this project possible.

“Rix & Kay are well equipped to support the team, having previously supported the Catlin Arctic Survey Expedition, which was backed by the World Wildlife Fund.”

Páramo Directional Clothing is providing specialist clothing for Sacha Dench. Tom Snee, Manager at Páramo Directional Clothing said:

“As an ethical company committed to environmental issues, we are delighted to be supporting Sacha with high performance, PFC free clothing on her epic expedition.  We know that by wearing Páramo, she will remain warm, dry and comfortable for the 4,500 miles and for many years afterwards too!  We wish Sacha and her team every success on this inspirational journey.”

The Met Office is the world-leader in aviation meteorology, one of only two World area Forecast Centres (WAFC) and contracted by the CAA under Single European Skies (SES) as the sole provider of aviation weather in the UK. The Met Office Aviation Business Manager, Jonathan Dutton said:

“We are very pleased to be working with WWT on this exciting project. The Met Office will aim to help Sacha Dench plan, prepare and hopefully overcome the many weather related challenges she is bound to face en-route. We will be watching the progress of her expedition with interest and wish her luck with her endeavour.”

Rob Keene of Over Farm Microlights has trained Sacha to fly a microlight as backup in case she can't fly her paramotor. He'll also accompany the expedition will fly guests in his microlight alongside Sacha. Speaking about being asked to join the team, he said:

"When Sacha first called me to ask for my help, I admit I was pretty bemused but intrigued by what she was proposing to do. But after visiting her at Slimbridge, seeing the swans and meeting the researchers who study them, I was really impressed by their dedication and it all started to make sense. Flight of the Swans is an adventure for a reason and I'm really pleased to be part of it."

Sir Ranulph Fiennes said:

"I’m delighted that the Transglobe Expedition Trust is supporting the Flight of the Swans with one of our biggest ever grants. My fellow trustees and I were very impressed by the ambitious and innovative plans for such a worthwhile project."

Sir David Attenborough said:

“This expedition is marvellously imaginative and adventurous, and a fitting project in WWT’s 70^th anniversary. Peter Scott did similar in his day and inspired the world. That swans should fly from Russia to come here is surely a kind of parable – we can live in harmony with nature and it’s up to us to do so.”

Kate Humble said:

“I’m proud to be a Vice President of WWT because it is an organisation that combines excellent public engagement with proactive, practical and often bold conservation. The Flight of the Swans expedition encapsulates WWT's remit - a remarkable and original way of telling the story of the journey of the Bewick’s swans, of learning more about them and passing that knowledge on. This is an enormously brave and exciting undertaking, and one I believe Peter Scott, the founder of WWT, would have thoroughly approved of.”

Pen Hadow, polar explorer, said:

“’Story makers’ as opposed to ‘story tellers’ are of that rare breed who have a powerful ability to act as a rallying point for important issues. It strikes me that this project with Sacha’s creative paramotoring plans are definitely the ‘story makers’ for this important Bewick’s story. This feat of human endurance – an individual paramotoring 7,000 km over some remarkably inhospitable terrain and weather conditions - will mirror the gruelling annual undertaking of the Bewick’s as they leave their breeding grounds in the Arctic Tundra and head for wintering spots in the UK and nearby. The direct communication with communities along the route, and massive media coverage on an international scale, will undoubtedly focus attention and efforts on helping to prevent the decrease in the Bewick’s swan global population.”

Ann Daniels, polar explorer, said:

“This project is truly admirable in both its conception and its ambitions. It is really unique idea and as such I think will draw a great deal of attention to the plight of the Bewick’s. There will no doubt be gruelling moments for Sacha! However, she’s dedicated to the cause and fully committed and I have every confidence that the project will be a great success – both in generating a lot of public attention but also helping the communities along the flyway to better understand the importance of looking after these beautiful and iconic swans.”

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