A GRADUATE from Stratton is helping to repopulate the North Cornwall countryside with what was once a common species in the county — the water vole. Teagen Hill, 22, secured a job offer from Westland Countryside Stewards following her degree in rural business management from Duchy College Stoke Climsland after she researched the now rare mammal for her dissertation. Teagen said: "I looked into whether there were water voles already in the area and if North Cornwall would be a good habitat for them as that was before the releases. There were no water voles I could see, but slight evidence of mink. I surveyed Bude marshes, which is a perfect site for voles, but council-owned, so we couldn't release there. The findings went back to Derek Gow, a local water vole conservationist, and Westland, and they first released last summer after I finished my dissertation." For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week's edition of the Post.