Debbie Bailey – in memoriam August 2015

Debbie Bailey, who developed and led the largest volunteer badger vaccination program in the UK and made a huge contribution to ending the badger cull in Britain, died suddenly at the age of 58 on the 1^st August, leaving a huge hole in the world of badger and wildlife conservation. The Derbyshire badger vaccination project was groundbreaking and became influential at the highest levels in Government because it demonstrated that a real alternative to shooting badgers was possible and it could operate at scale involving multiple stakeholders and Government Agencies. In 2018, in recognition of her work, she was awarded the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Animal Action Award. A Foundation is being established in her name to continue her work (https://www.debbiebailey.org/).

Debbie was born in Cheadle, Cheshire and moved as a child to Furness Vale in the High Peak, Derbyshire where she lived for the rest of her life.  Her instincts to protect the natural environment became apparent early, with her family still remembering her horror at the film Watership Down when diggers destroyed the rabbits’ warren and killed many rabbits in the process. To the day she passed away, Debbie remained fiercely opposed to the destruction of habitats for the sake of property development.

Debbie’s compassion and desire to help those in need led her into a career in nursing. She worked at Stepping Hill Hospital for 13 years in a variety of roles including on the psychiatric, outpatients, cardiac and respiratory wards where she met her partner of 24 years, David Wilson when nursing his brother.

But Debbie’s real passion, the passion that would make her one of the country’s fiercest advocates for badgers, was wildlife. If there was a tip or trick to encourage the local wildlife into her garden, Debbie knew of it. She hung birdfeeders from every branch she could reach, she planted flowers to attract the bees, and she accepted slugs might eat her plants in the hope a hedgehog or two would come for a snack. It was in her garden that Debbie’s love of and commitment to badgers began after finding badger scrapes on the lawn. She became fascinated by them, feeding them and watching them on the patio in the evenings and starting to learn everything she could about them. She even launched “badger watch” so others could enjoy the sight of badgers feeding in close proximity, separated only by a large window. Not being one to let any opportunity pass by, she encouraged each visitor to make a donation to the High Peak Badger Group for the privilege.

When the badger cull began in 2013 as part of an attempt to control TB in cattle, Debbie was incensed. She learnt all she could and started to campaign against the cull. One significant achievement was to persuade her then MP, Andrew Bingham, to defy the whip and vote against the cull. Debbie had taken the latest scientific research and made it clear to him just how opposed the public was to the cull. She even took him out into the field with her to show him first hand what fascinating creatures badgers were.

Debbie then put herself to work with the High Peak Badger Group and the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) to demonstrate a practical alternative to shooting badgers in the name of controlling  bovine TB. Badger vaccination had been licensed in 2010 and used in small scale trials so Debbie took a career break for 2 years and using her skills as a nurse and ability to draw people together set about coordinating and building in Derbyshire what was to be become the first and largest volunteer led badger vaccination program. When she could no longer afford to do this work unpaid and was due to go back into nursing, the DWT decided to employ her so her important work could continue. The vaccination project was rolled out in 2013 and in ten years around 1500 badgers had been vaccinated in Derbyshire. This work continues today.

To do all this, Debbie used her extraordinary skills to enthuse and engage people to volunteer and train to be part of the project.  Debbie was difficult to say no to for the best possible reasons and many individuals, landowners and organisations including the National Trust found themselves inevitably drawn into helping with the effort. It was impossible to spend more than five minutes with her without feeling a compulsion to help her protect badgers.

Debbie also negotiated the complex bureaucracy surrounding licences for badger vaccination overcoming her dyslexia to master the computer skills she needed. Many of her friends will remember the times spent tearing their hair out over the paperwork involved, but Debbie persisted also helping the APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency), Natural England and DEFRA (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) develop and host their badger vaccination training schemes. When badger vaccine was in short supply in 2017, she saw to it that the team got organised and secured an import licence for vaccine from Canada. She also worked alongside, supported and inspired many other groups across the country to start badger vaccination projects.

However, Debbie saw that badgers were still being killed and recognised the need to work politically to campaign effectively. Along the path to changing Government policy her work included organising the first ever Badger Vaccination Symposium in Derby in 2017, collaborating with ecologists and other scientists including at the Royal Zoological Society of London, giving countless numbers of  talks and working in partnership with a huge array of different groups including the Badger Trust, Brian May and the Save Me Trust. She also made numerous TV appearances including on Countryfile, with Ben Fogle and on Sky. She acted as an advisor to the police on wildlife crime and as an expert witness in badger baiting cases.

Despite the demands of coordinating such a large project, she always found time to help injured or sick badgers, hedgehogs and other wildlife, often nursing them back to health in her home and working with her wide network of wildlife lovers to secure their safe release back into the wild following rehabilitation.

When Debbie wasn’t out in the fields with her beloved badgers, she would be in her element hosting family and friends at home. She loved nothing more than bringing people together over a nice (and usually spicey) meal, particularly of the South East Asian variety following the time she spent travelling the region in her thirties. Everyone of all ages was welcomed in by Debbie which probably accounts for the success of the annual Badger Balls at Furness Vale Social Club every Christmas. As well as raising thousands of pounds for badger conservation, they were occasions not to be missed.

Debbie died following a cerebral haemorrhage while pre-baiting and surveying for the next round of badger vaccinations on land above Hayfield, surrounded by the nature that she loved so dearly. She is survived by her partner, David, mother and father, Barbara and Terry, sister Tracey, brother Andy, her step-children, Sam, Gareth and Sophie, grandchildren Jamie, Ellie and Jaxx, and nieces and nephew, Helen, Charlotte, Jess, Chloe, Lucy and Mark.