SOMETIMES when there is so much gloom and doom in the world it is nice to take a step back and enjoy the simple things.

Of course, we all need to be informed over world powers trading playground insults over whose nuclear weapon is the biggest, and one should not close their ears to the excitement that is the Brexit process.

But it is nice to get away from it all from time to time and enjoy the good news in life.

Such as the success of the red squirrel population in the Yorkshire Dales.

These beautiful little animals are still listed as vulnerable due in no small part to the proliferation of American grey squirrels that gobbled up our little red’s habitat and generally took over.

A metaphor we can learn from perhaps.

So it is heartening to hear that the native species is flourishing in Cumbria and their population is stable in the Yorkshire Dales.

It may seem a small thing to rejoice over, but most Yorkshire-dwellers have an affinity with wildlife, particularly native species that have struggled in recent decades.

And whilst our indigenous wildlife perhaps does not have the wow factor of other countries - imagine seeing a herd of African elephants trundling through Swaledale - these animals are ours and they deserve our protection and respect.

Red squirrels are proving that adversity can be overcome, that no matter the challenges, the will to survive and live on is strong and fortunes can be reversed.

With a little help from us humans they are winning, and long may that continue.