Henry Wild of Skelwith Fold Caravan Park in Ambleside, Cumbria talks of the resurgence in the park's red squirrel population.

It was three years ago that our conservation team decided we'd seen quite enough grey. Once upon a time, this 130-acres of parkland and its deciduous woodland would have been home to a thriving red squirrel population, but every single one had been ousted by the ubiquitous "tree rats".

We determined on a campaign to see the return of the reds, and advised the owners of the 300 holiday homes at Skelwith Fold of our intentions. We explained that our bid would require a combination of careful habitat management - and the inevitable culling of as many grey squirrels as possible. To our delight, many owners came forward and offered to help in any way they could with our efforts. An action group was formed, and the necessary finance for the project was drummed up by various fund-raising activities - matched pound-for-pound by donations from the park.

Creating the environmental conditions which would encourage the reds to return took almost two years. But even with literally hundreds of greys humanely culled, we knew there was bound to be an interregnum when the trees would be bare of both shades - and we could only cross our fingers.

And then, last autumn, the first colony of reds was spotted - and by the time winter had set in, we knew of at least eight established colonies. The news, when picked up by our local press and radio, prompted great excitement among Lakeland nature and environmental groups, many of which we have subsequently welcomed on "red safaris".

The return of the reds, however, was not without incident - including the threat posed by the increasing spread of the squirrelpox virus which is deadly to red squirrels. Research by the group, however, established that the virus was probably being passed via the feeders often used to bolster the diet of red squirrels with seeds, fruit and nuts. The group quickly moved on to ground-feeding and alternative methods of delivering the food to the animals - and as a result, the park has remained completely virus-free.

At the start of our campaign, we also had to work against the backdrop of damage suffered by Skelwith during the violent storms of winter 2005/6 which hit our park hard. Over a period of a fortnight, scores of mature trees on the park were felled by the devastating winds - taking with them many potentially ideal red squirrel habitats.

We were also conscious that the return of the reds was anything but a foregone conclusion, for a few years previously we had sponsored a red squirrel breeding programme at Muncaster Castle in Cumbria. Despite the apparently ideal setting of undisturbed mature woodland, and the undeniable zeal of the wildlife experts heading the programme, their efforts were in vain. For all their wide-awake appearance, red squirrels can be remarkably slow in appreciating efforts made on their behalf!

The success of our campaign was due to a lot of hard work on the part of Skelwith's holiday home owners plus our own conservation team, and this fantastic result has made everything worthwhile. Whilst I don't suggest that we are in any respect a role model for other parts of the countryside wishing to see the return of their indigenous reds, there is one aspect of our experience from which lessons might be drawn. It's that when a whole community - in this case, one comprising both our own staff and holidaymakers - settles on a course of action, the collective spirit to succeed will often win through. Education and determination are perhaps our two most effective weapons against the grey menace.

Skelwith Fold Caravan Park provides holiday homes for sale, and pitches for touring caravan and motorhomes. The park has won a number of major environmental accolades over the years, and has a David Bellamy Gold Award for its conservation efforts. For more details please visit www.skelwith.co.uk