Waste team’s present to centre’s sick hedgehogs

WHEN some hedgehog bedding in the form of donated newspapers was inadvertently recycled by Tewkesbury Borough Council’s waste team, officers decided to make amends.

Hedgehogs can nest in recycled newspaper and Vicki Oliver had left some outside Brockworth Hedgehog Rescue Centre, which was destined to be used as bedding for the poorly hogs.

She contacted Tewkesbury’s waste and recycling team to let them know they had mistakenly taken one of her drop-off collection point bins meant for the hedgehogs, and not her own domestic recycling bin.

Steve Daffern, operations and transport manager for Ubico’s Tewkesbury contract, said: “To make amends we gathered up another bin full of paper and donated this, plus cat food, dog biscuits and cleaning products to the charity. It was incredible to take a peek at the 30 hospital units and to hear about the amount of work that goes into rehabilitating each hedgehog.”

Kate Cole, Tewkesbury Borough

Council’s waste services officer, said: “We are delighted that we could make amends to this wonderful animal charity, and the waste services team have also donated a free garden waste subscription as one of the prizes for the charity’s open day, which takes place on September 24.”

Donations to the charity go a long way in helping Brockworth Hedgehog Rescue Centre to exist. It costs the small charity over £30,000 per year to tend for the 500 or so hedgehogs that annually pass through its shed doors.

Ms Oliver, who set the charity up in 2015, said: “Hedgehogs are in dramatic decline and they urgently need as much support as possible.

“This donation of food and bedding will be used by the volunteers and will help keep our 30 hedgehogs going for a few days.”

To find out how to donate to the charity, and learn what to do should you find an abandoned or injured hedgehog visit