A local hedgehog rescue is appealing for community support amid rising costs.
Lucky Hedgehog Rescue CIC was founded by Lucy Felgate-Baumberg in 2015 after a visit to the vets. Recalling the day, Lucy explained that she took her dog for a routine check-up, when the local vet told her a young hedgehog was due to be put down if no-one could offer it a home.
Lucy stepped in and offered to house the hedgehog, as well as nurse him back to health. It was at this point she said her life changed forever.
Now, ten years on, she cares for hundreds of hedgehogs at Lucky Hedgehog Rescue, but is sadly facing more demand than ever before. Battling rising costs, she is appealing for local support to keep the site operation.
Lucy explained: “We’re facing rising costs across the board. Each hedgehog we support costs around £40 for basic treatment and food every six weeks, but it can easily run beyond that for serious injury.” Lucy said that rescues such as hers struggle to get government support, and as a result often have to rely on public donations.
She continued: “The thing about running a rescue is that it really is a 24/7 job. We regularly get calls from across East Yorkshire asking us to drive out and collect hedgehogs, sometimes I don’t think people quite appreciate the mental burden of having to treat so many of these animals.”
Lucy and her team do what they can, however the national picture is a cause for concern due to the shrinking population of hedgehogs. Also adding to pressures is the dwindling number of local vets, meaning rescues such as Lucky Hedgehog have to rely on specialists, which only increases the costs.
To help overcome this issues, Lucy and her team have started an easyfundraising page in the hopes to build their own in-house veterinary suite. The online platform allows shoppers to raise free cashback donations at no extra cost. Simply by supporters signing up and making online purchases via the platform, the retailers you shopped with donate a portion of your spend to your favourite cause.
Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Hull with our free newsletter
Lucy said: “We’re looking for support at Lucky Hedgehog. One of our major focuses remains upgrading our cages, where the hedgehogs stay while recovering. We sometimes get businesses sponsoring one, but it’s not enough amid the rising costs rescues like mine are facing right across the country. Even the smallest of donations can make a massive difference to the life of a hedgehog.”
To date, Lucky Hedgehog Rescue CIC has received over £1,100 in donations via easyfundraising. To donate, visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/luckyhhogresc