We think this little cutie might be the most famous Red Squirrel of all time, what do you think?
Red Squirrel Day!
Today (the 21st of January) is officially Red Squirrel appreciation day!
The Isle of Arran is famously one of the last true havens of Red Squirrels in Britain, with not a single Grey on the Island! They've also served as the inspiration for one of our most popular beers, the "Arran Red Squirrel" A 3.9% Red Ale made using a lot of delicious Crystal Malt!
Now what a lot of enjoyers of the Arran Red Squirrel might not know is that the red squirrel on the "Red Squirrel" is a REAL Arran Red Squirrel, many moons ago we at Arran Brewery ran a competition, take the best picture of a Red Squirrel on Arran and we'll put it on the bottle! I think this means that this wee Red Squirrel might be the most famous Red Squirrel of all time! Now the way we've always thought of it, is that since we're using this wee lass or laddie's image we think it's only fair we give something back to our local Arran Red Squirrels, So for many years a small percentage of the profits for every bottle of Red Squirrel has been donated to a charity that supports the welfare of Red Squirrels on Arran!
Last year the total raised by sales of the Arran Red Squirrel was a whopping £319.92! This was donated to the Arran Animal Rescue and Sanctuary!
They admit and rehabilitate a number of injured / sick or otherwise in need of help Red Squirrels every year, and once they are released continue to feed them. They are aiming to build an enclosure to house any Red Squirrels that are in their care but need the funds to do so! The Rescue relies on donations and fundraising so hopefully the £320 raised will help them to achieve that goal.
Our most recent batch of Red Ale is still away for bottling (ETA early Febuary) but in the meantime you can always support the Arran Red Squirrels directly by visiting the Arran Animal Rescue Center on Arran or via their website:
