Pollyanna honoured with Worldwide Nature Group of Artists Conservation Award

Pollyanna has been honoured with an International award in recognition of her extraordinary contribution to conservation, by this prestigious wildlife art society, based in Canada.

The society have celebrated Pollyanna's commitment and dedication to the Worldwide Nature Group of Artist's mission by naming her as the latest recipient of the WNAG Conservation Artist Award. The award recognises her tireless work through the Pollyanna Pickering Foundation to both conserve endangered species and help injured wildlife within the UK
The Award is bestowed on a member of the Worldwide Nature Group of Artists who has demonstrated a combination of artistic excellence and made an extraordinary contribution to the conservation cause. Previous winners include David Shepherd and the late Simon Combes.

For fifteen years Pollyanna ran a wildlife rehabilitation sanctuary from her home in the Peak District of Derbyshire, specialising in raptors. In 2001 she established The Pollyanna Pickering Foundation to continue her commitment to working for the welfare of wildlife. Since then tens of thousands of pounds have been raised through a percentage of sales at Pollyanna's exhibitions, her fees for public speaking engagements, prize draws to win original paintings, and donations. The Foundation has bought equipment for wildlife hospitals and sanctuaries throughout the UK, including building tunnels to help rehabilitate orphaned badgers, and incubators for a hedgehog hospital. International projects have including helping to build a safe haven for Rhino's in Aberdare, providing vaccines and equipment to Inoculate Ethiopia's wolf population against rabies, and providing anti-poaching equipment for Project Tiger rangers.

Pollyanna also acts a patron of several National wildlife charities including Naturewatch, Raptor Rescue, and the African/Asian Conservation Trust, Honorary Vice President of the Wildlife Defence Fund, and Honorary President of the North Derbyshire and District RSPCA.

Based in Canada, WNAG are dedicated to the celebration and preservation of the natural world. Their mission is to build a community of world-class artists who share a common interest in nature art and nature conservancy. The WNAG was founded in 1997 by Jeffrey Whiting - a prominent nature artist, author and biologist who believes that working collectively with like-minded artists is the best approach to furthering the interests of both nature art and the conservation cause

.Click Here to view Pollyanna's pages on the WNAG site.

This is the second major conservation award bestowed on Pollyanna this year - in July The International Fund for Animal Welfare named Pollyanna as their 'Animal Conservation Fund-raiser of the Year 2005' at a special ceremony at the House of Lords.

Much of her work is commissioned and published by wildlife charities, and in this way has raised millions of pounds for causes close to her heart. Organisations who have commissioned work include the RSPCA, RSPB the World Wide Fund for Nature, National Canine Defence League, the Council for the Protection of Rural England, the National Trust, Wood Green Animal Shelters, The Cat's Protection League, the Hedgehog Preservation Society, the International Sheep Dog society, Blue Cross, Care for the Wild, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the World Society for the Protection of Animals, Naturewatch, The Born Free Foundation, Compassion in World Farming, Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, The Wildlife Defence Fund, Battersea Dogs Home, Wildlife Trusts across the country, the PDSA, the RSPCA (Hong Kong) United Yorki rescue (USA) Second Sight (the US Guide Dogs Foundation), the SPCA (Singapore) the KSPCA (Kenya) and the Philippine Animal Welfare Society - and countless other smaller charities and associations.