Save our SEALS

After retirement, Alison Cramp, 72, wanted to make a real difference

- SERENA SHORES

For Alison Cramp, there’s no such thing as a typical day at work.

But that’s just how she likes it. At the end of an exhausting shift, knowing she has done some good makes every unpredictable minute worth it – and there are often laughs to be had.

‘I will always remember the lovely lady who wanted to buy a poorly seal pup a cup of tea from the beachside cafe!’ says Alison, from Overstrand, Norfolk.‘Seeing a seal in distress can be very upsetting. Sometimes it’s the humorous little tales that help keep up morale.’

Ali is a senior marine mammal medic with the local charity Seal and Shore Watch, who devote their time to rescuing sick, injured, and underweight seals from all along the Norfolk coast and transporting them to rehabilitation centers such as the RSPCA Wildlife Centre at East Winch, near King’s Lynn.

‘I had always been an outdoor type with an interest in animals,’ explains Ali, who was Manager at the Gorse Hill City Farm, Leicester, before retiring to the seaside.

‘Once here, I found I had time on my hands and really wanted to get involved with something worthwhile.’

Ali went to a talk about seals, where she listened to a very passionate lady explain the devastating effects of a recent tidal surge upon very young grey seal pups, who had been washed away from their mothers while suckling on the beaches. The speaker turned out to be Seal and Shore Watch founder Stephanie Davis.