NAMES have been chosen for two beaver kits born on Exmoor after the National Trust appealed to supporters for suggestions to honour the England Lionesses footballers who won this summer’s women’s Euros.

Russo and Toone were chosen by trust rangers on the Holnicote Estate after Alessia Russo and Ella Toone, who both scored vital goals in the tournament.

Among the other player names suggested by supporters were (Chloe) Kelly, (Fran) Kirby, and (Jill) Scott, as well as ‘Lion’, ‘Ness’, and ‘Sweet’ and ‘Caroline’ after the Neil Diamond song which has become a football anthem.

The first kit born on Exmoor last year was named Rashford after England men’s footballer Marcus who helped the team reach the final of the European Championships.

The kits’ parents, Grylls and Yogi, were released into a 7.5-acre enclosure on the estate in 2020 and Rashford was the first beaver kit born on Exmoor in 400 years.

Holnicote project manager Ben Eardley said: “We chose these names as a fitting tribute to the Lionesses’ win.

“Over the next few months, we will be able to track their development and witness how they can help us with our conservation work, in particular building more resilience into our landscapes to help mitigate the consequences of extreme weather like the drought conditions we are currently experiencing.”

Grylls and Yogi have already built a network of dams at Holnicote which have slowed the flow of water and kept levels high during the recent heatwave and has helped to bring more wildlife to the site, including frogs, reptiles, and moorhens.

Mr Eardley said: “Developing this type of resilience to our warming climates not only helps wildlife, but holding water in the landscapes ensures there is more water for surrounding trees and fields. These beaver-engineered wetlands also have the potential to help raise local groundwater levels and develop a more resilient river catchment to benefit people, too.”

The trust is using beavers as part of its aim to restore 62,000 acres of wildlife-rich habitats by 2025.