Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has honoured a Norfolk woman who launched the campaign to save our seals from plastic beach toys.
Jenny Hobson was volunteering at the RSPCA's East Winch Wildlife Centre in 2018, when a seal was brought in with its neck trapped in a plastic flying ring.
The heart-broken animal lover launched a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers posed by the beach toys, which saw seaside shops stop stocking them and West Norfolk council ban them from its beaches.
Mrs Hobson from King's Lynn has now been honoured with a Points of Light Award signed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The accolade recognises the work of volunteers who make a real difference in their communities.
"It is brilliant how you have taken an awareness-raising campaign right round the UK to highlight the impact of plastic toys on our wildlife," Mr Sunak wrote.
"Thanks to you, shops and local businesses across Norfolk have stopped selling plastic rings. And you have encouraged your local councils to become the first in the country to ban the use of flying rings from their beaches in order to protect seals."
While she was not expected to survive, she made a full recovery and was released back into the wild at Horsey the following year.
Mrs Hobson was volunteering at the wildlife hospital the following year when another animal was brought in which had suffered similar appalling injuries.
"I happened to be on a shift one dark December night in 2018 when Peter from the friends of Horsey Seals brought in the second seal caught in a flying ring they'd rescued," she said.
"She was in a carrying net with the ring caught around her neck. My heart broke for her, she was almost dead, the ring was embedded in her neck and the wound was very deep."
That seal, too, survived thanks to the RSPCA's staff and volunteers. Others continue to be found with injuries.
When playful young seals come across flying rings which have been washed out to sea, they put their heads through them and then can't shake them off.
As the animal grows, the ring digs deeper and deeper into the neck, causing horrific wounds and preventing the animal from hunting, so it starves slowly to death.
Mrs Hobson launched a seal safety campaign with wildlife groups to highlight the dangers of the plastic rings.
While many shops around the coast of Norfolk and further afield have stopped stocking them, others continue.
"Some of the key beach shops have not stopped selling them, some of the big chains haven't stopped," she said. "There is an easy alternative, which is a solid frisbee."
Mrs Hobson and her husband Richard decided to sail around the UK coast on their 36ft yacht to highlight the dangers after he retired in 2022.
She wrote Sailing for Seals, a book about their adventures including rough seas and fog, along with the wildlife they encountered and how they spread the word about the campaign along the way.
As the grey seal pupping season gets under way at Horsey and other beaches, Mrs Hobson hopes visitors travelling to see the animals will keep their distance and not get between mothers and their young.
North West Norfolk MP James Wild, who presented the award from Mr Sunak, said: "Seals are a much loved part of the wonderful wildlife along the Norfolk coast.
"Through her campaigning Jenny has helped to make a difference and stop these rings ending up in the sea harming these animals."
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