A group set up to help toads safely cross roads near Sandbach and Alsager during the mating season has had a successful season – with a little help from Nub News!

Back in January, Sandbach Nub News and its sister site, Alsager Nub News, ran a series of stories highlighting the group, Smallwood Toad patrols, and asking for more volunteers.

And the result was a surge of people coming forward to help with the group, launched by Alsager Town Councillor, Jane Smith four years ago.

The amphibian safety programme starts at dusk when a group of volunteers pull on their boots, gloves and Hi-Viz jackets, pick up their buckets and fishing nets and head for the country lanes.

Now the group's co-ordinator, Jane, has thanked the band of volunteers who regularly turned out to help the toads cross roads safely during the mating season.

She told Nub News exclusively: "Now we've finished our season I'd like to extend a huge thank you to our toad patrollers old and new for their hard work and commitment.

"They've spent many dark nights pounding the lanes and we've been able to have patrols out every single night of the toads' migration season apart from a three-night halt during the storms.

"Our toad stats for the 2022 season are a total of 805 common toads actively crossed by our patrollers but this figure doesn't include the hundreds (probably thousands) of toads who cross safely on their own without assistance – toads cross all night and we only patrol the traffic rush hours.

"The number indicates a healthy local toad population because our patrols are shorter than they used to be by a couple of hours and yet the toad figures are not far off those from the years with much longer patrols.

"This was our longest ever season due to the very dry weather, with nine weeks of patrolling in total.

"We had to stop patrols for four nights around Storm Eunice due to the risk of falling branches or trees so we do have a data gap this year, in common with toad patrols around the country

"Our data will be submitted to the national amphibian charity Froglife and will form part of their annual 'health of the common toad in the UK' reporting. Citizen science in action!"

Jane added: "The patrollers' dedication is really helping boost the local population of common toads – a native species that has seen a staggering 68 per cent decline in the past 30 years alone due to pond loss, construction, roads, pesticides and climate change."

Patrollers worked in Cherry Lane, Alsager and Lawton Heath and Brookhouse Lane, Moss End Lane, Pitcher Lane, Mill Lane and Back Lane, Smallwood. 

And it's not just the local toad patrol population which the group benefits from. Jane says patrollers have also had a great time helping with the campaign.

"The benefits that patrollers tell us they experience are many from gentle exercise through to camaraderie and better emotional health on top of the rewards of doing conservation work."

The group's next event is Saturday, September 10th with a toad patrols stall at Smallwood Village fete near Sandbach.

For more information about the group and how to volunteer, visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SmallwoodToadPatrols