A fundraising campaign by cycling and walking charity Sustrans was “likely to mislead potential donors”, a regulator has ruled — the active travel organisation’s campaigns twice in breach of fundraising practice by implying Sustrans was “solely focused on wildlife protection activities”.

The story was revealed by The Telegraph newspaper who this weekend reported that Sustrans’ wildlife-centred fundraising campaigns — such as one asking, “Will you help save the dormouse?” — were “inaccurate” and “likely to mislead” as they failed be “clear about the charity’s broad strategic aim” of boosting active travel.

That was the ruling of the Fundraising Regulator, which also suggested Sustrans’ wildlife protection work is “predominantly a direct result of… increasing active travel and by expanding and developing the NCN (National Cycle Network)”.

The adverts appeared on Facebook in 2022 and asked the public to consider donating in order to assist Sustrans’ work protecting rare birds, bats, dormice and hedgehogs, some referencing an “environmental emergency”, and others including quotes such as preventing animals’ homes being “razed to the ground”. Campaign adverts typically featured “cute, fluffy” animals and birds, such as a young hedgehog or dormouse.

“We accept the regulator’s recommendation”

The Telegraph said it had seen the ruling and a dossier crucial to the Fundraising Regulator’s investigation, Sustrans’ chief executive Xavier Brice having previously stated he had “full confidence that our fundraising adverts are not misleading to the public in portraying us as a wildlife charity”.

However, the regulator disagreed, a Sustrans spokesperson reacting to the ruling by insisting that the content of the wildlife campaign “appropriately reflects the work our in-house team of ecology experts and volunteers have done to improve biodiversity on the National Cycle Network”.

They added: “The regulator agreed we were able to show evidence that we had completed this work. Our ecology campaign was an unrestricted appeal, helping us to raise donations for our charitable objectives and we had a statement to that effect on every landing page.

“We accept the regulator’s recommendation that we should have included more about our core mission, to make it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle, throughout the adverts to ensure it was clear to potential supporters that our mission is not solely ecology on the National Cycle Network.”

The Fundraising Regulator had reportedly received two complaints about the adverts and explained how a complainant was “concerned that potential donors would not be aware their donations could fund work that has a potentially negative impact on wildlife.”

The ruling concluded that some who saw the adverts would likely assume Sustrans’ work is mostly the “promotion and protection of wildlife”, not active travel.

“We find that Sustrans positioning itself within this fundraising campaign as solely focused on wildlife protection activities on the NCN is likely to mislead potential donors,” it concluded.

Speaking to The Telegraph, a complainant accused the active travel charity of running a “brazenly unethical” campaign and suggested it “had to be dragged kicking and screaming to stop misleading the public after two years”.

A Sustrans spokesperson commented: “The last thing we would want to do is mislead our supporters, who are vital to our mission. We have been grateful to collaborate closely with the regulator and we are implementing their recommendations.”