FOUR loveable crafted stop-motion animations are being used to highlight nature's role in protecting Cumbria's homes business and farms.

Twiggy the Red Squire, Milligan the Hedgehog, Pat the Cow and Gill and Isla the Salmon are the Creature Comforts-style animations unveiled by Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the Cumbria Innovative Flood Resilience project.

The films show how natural techniques can decrease flooding downstream and reduce the impact of drought on land and pollutants in water.

Each of the four characters is narrated by a cast of Cumbrian voices, including Adam Briggs from the National Farmers Union, Annabel Rushton from the RSPB, Rachel Oakley from the National Trust, Catherine Evens from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, and additional voices from the Environment Agency, United Utilities and Cumbria Volunteer Service.

David Harpley, Head of Conservation for Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: “The Trust works with local landowners and farmers to make Cumbria’s landscape more resilient to the impacts of the climate crisis, such as flooding and drought.

"Many of the techniques explained in the animations have been used in Cumbria. Restoration of peatland at Tebay Common included the installation of letterbox dams to slow the flow of water, and leaky dams have been installed above a housing estate in Kendal to reduce the impact during a flood event”.

The techniques explored in these films include improving soils ability to absorb water, so it is less likely to run off into rivers; removing old and dangerous weirs and dams, the benefits of trees and their ability to reduce the impacts of rain even in large storms, and what people can do to their own homes and gardens to reduce their impacts.

The ‘stop-motion’ animated films have been produced this year as a sequel to the original award-winning films from 2022.

Cadi Catlow, Director, said: “Twiggy was built as a lifesize, anatomically correct puppet with a huge amount of attention to detail, right down to the number of toes on each foot, though her face was gently worked into a slightly cartoonish direction around the eyes and mouth to help with the animation.

"Her cheerful, expressive voice actually belongs to a real expert working in the field.”