A series of wildlife films, with unique footage from across the Mendip Hills, that will introduce you to 8 very special species are being launched by the Mendip Hills National Landscape Team and Mike Dilger, wildlife expert and TV presenter.

The champion species are; adder, greater horseshoe bat, Cheddar pink, dormouse, black oil beetle, water vole, small pearl bordered fritillary and skylark. Mike Dilger presents the films, talking with an expert on each species and unique footage shot across the area. Some of the footage has never been seen before and required special permissions. 

These are the Champion Species of the Mendip Hills National Landscape. What makes them champions? They’re all threatened and vulnerable to disappearing from our lives. They all tell us how good, or not, the areas where they live are. And, they’re all quirky, conversation starters!

Mike Dilger said, 'Being involved in a project close to both my heart and home has been a joy from beginning to end. Having spent spring and summer of 2023 filming everything from bats to butterflies and birds to beetles has reconfirmed to me how special the Mendip Hills are, not just for wildlife, but also for those lucky enough to share it with nature on a regular basis. These films were shot in their entirety within the confines of the National Landscape, and hopefully will be a valuable resource for the National Landscape team to remind everyone who watches that we can all help to protect and conserve the champion species highlighted and the habitats on which they rely. And also to remind everyone why the 'magical Mendips' should never be taken for granted.'
Tim Haselden, from the Mendip Hills National Landscape Team, said, 'A Nature Recovery Plan has been published for the Mendip Hills National Landscape and these Champion Species are the figureheads. Each species is being monitored with action plans to enable everyone to help them. The films are being used to introduce people to them so they can find out what they can do in the area they live or just watch some incredible wildlife films from their part of Mendip.'

The first of the films to be launched [on Friday 15th March] is an introduction to all of the Champion Species and answers the question why are the Mendip Hills so important for wildlife? The skylark then gets the spotlight. With the perky little tuft on its head and a song for every occasion it's a charming, but vulnerable bird that needs our help. Each week a new film will be launched on the Mendip Hills website [Nature Recovery - Mendip Hills National Landscape (mendiphills-nl.org.uk)].