HERTS and Middlesex Wildlife Trust has launched a fund-raising campaign to protect the future of some wildlife species, which it says are at crisis point.

It cites the number of brown hares, thought to have declined by more than 80% in the past 100 years, turtle doves, whose numbers have plummeted by 99% since the 1960s, common toads and some flowering plant species.

The trust is the leading voice for conservation in the counties, with more than 23,500 members and 1,100 active volunteers. This year marks the charity’s 60th anniversary.