Hazelbury Hedgehog Rescue Craft Fayre

Here is an update about Dorset's plans for a hedgehog hospital from Susy Varndell at Dorset .

Dear All,

We would like to bring you up to date about our progress on the hedgehog hospital plans.

Besides fund raising for the physical hospital and finding a suitable location, one of the biggest challenges we will face will be expert veterinary support for the hospital and wider rescue community.

Tim Partridge, who was the vet at Vale Wildlife Hospital for a number of years, has agreed to help us navigate veterinary issues in relation to the hospital itself and helping develop hog expertise among vets across Dorset.

Tim has agreed to come down to Dorset to contribute to an informal information-sharing evening with a number of vets who have already expressed an interest in supporting /being part of this project (4 to date) plus all the rescues and their supporting vets and vet nurses, as well as any other interested vets or vet nurses from across Dorset. Jeff Wood, who you will all probably remember as the trainer on the Vale hedgehog first aid course, has also offered his services. With such a back up team we will be able to go forward with more confidence.

The evening would cover Tim’s wealth of veterinary experience with hedgehogs, legal issues, ethical issues, drug doses and more. There will be a question and answer time at the end too. Refreshments will be on offer.

We are looking at a date in September to be held in a central location such as Dorchester. We are hoping that all the rescues will be represented along with their supporting vet. Formal invitations will be sent out once the venue has been agreed.

Progress is also moving forward on establishment of the hospital:

· Approx £20,000 has been raised towards the building and fit out

· Budgets for capital costs and running costs are being finalised

· Research from stakeholders (vets and rescues) has been collected and analysed

· Grant applications are being prepared

· A page on a fundraising platform has been set up

· A DONATE button should be up and running soon on the Dorset Mammal Group website and facebook page

· The hospital will be established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in due course.

If there are other areas you / your vet team would like Tim to address, please let us know.

A search for a suitable central location for the hospital continues. Many avenues have been followed through but none at this moment is going forward. A current possibility under investigation is that a council (who could not support the venture financially) might have empty buildings just waiting for a tenant. We are waiting to hear back.

If any of you have suggestions for a site that we could look into, please let us know.

Best wishes to you all

Susy

Contact our local group c/o planetshaftesbury@gmail.com