As our last article for the Stroud News Green Scene page disappeared into a black hole, here is the April column which should have been published weeks ago.
Help a Hedgehog Hospital is now a registered charity!
Pauhla Whitaker, our Chairperson has been working hard over the last
few months to make sure our governing documents complied with the
Charity Commission's requirements.
All
the current committee members and officers are now the Trustees of
the new charity. We have come a long way since Annie Parfitt started
the hospital in a very small way in her back garden in 2008, but our
aims remain the same – to rescue, rehabilitate and release sick,
injured and orphaned hedgehogs. We also
aim to educate the public about the wild European hedgehog
(Erinaceus Europeus - our native species) by means of talks and events.
Our spring release programme is now well under way – 10 pairs have been
released in the Cranham area so if you live in the village - look out
for hedgehogs marked with pink or blue nail varnish! If you find one in
distress please contact us quickly. If all goes well, there should be a
new population in the area soon. Others have been released in the King's
Stanley, Stonehouse and Frampton areas, and also around Tetbury,
Brimscombe and Bussage. Altogether 174 hogs were in care over the
winter, and most of those have regained a healthy weight and will go on
to continue their life cycle.
Our fundraising activities will be gearing up soon too – we will be
attending many outdoor events during the spring and summer, and hope to
see our friends there. The Hospital is run entirely by volunteers and
relies on donations and sale of our merchandise to fund the care of the
hedgehogs. If you would like to book a talk for your group or school,
please call John on 01453 885653. We don't charge a fee, but a donation
towards our work and supplies of meaty catfood are always welcome.
For more information and contact details, please see our website
http://www.helpahedgehog.org/
