Letter from Attenborough inspires boy's dream

At a glance

Cadell, seven, wrote a letter to Sir David Attenborough after watching Planet Earth III
He was inspired to become a conservationist, and dreams of working with wildlife on TV like Sir David
Sir David's response made him "really happy"
He plans to write letters to companies to remind them of the importance of recycling

Fosiya Ismail

BBC News, West Midlands

27 November 2023

A boy whose dream is to be a conservationist has moved one step closer with a stamp of approval from Sir David Attenborough.

Cadell, seven, wrote to Sir David after being inspired by Planet Earth III.

"I've always wanted to change the planet by saving animals, so I sat down and wrote a letter," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

His parents said they never expected a response but it only took a few days.

Cadell told Sir David that he had been helping "bugs, birds and frogs" at his school and "wanted to be a conservationist".

The family had returned back from a long weekend away to find the letter.

Cadell's father, Russ, said they initially thought the letter was from friends as they shared similar handwriting. They passed it to Cadell to open.

"He disappeared off into the lounge and a few moments later, he came out screaming saying: 'I’ve got a letter from David Attenborough!'"

The family said it only took a couple of days from when Cadell first posted his letter to hear back.

"He was thrilled. He couldn't wait to take it into school, they do a show and tell."

Family Handout

Cadell took the letter into his school to show his friends and teachers

In the letter, Sir David expressed how he is pleased that Cadell likes his programmes and that he had taken the time to write to him.

Cadell wants to follow in Sir David's footsteps to be a wildlife conservationist and appear on TV.

Hearing back from someone he admires so much, Cadell said, makes him "want to write more letters", especially to larger companies.

He wants to highlight the importance of conserving the environment and is trying to tackle recycling.

"He loves Lego... he wanted to know whether Lego recycle their bricks," Russ said.

After doing the research and realising they do not, Cadell wants to write to Lego to help change this.

"It's inspiring that Sir David has that impact on young people," Russ said.

"I think that his very nature is wonderful and it reverberates through society.

"We are extremely proud of Cadell and we are very thankful to Sir David for everything he has done for us."

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