Latest news with #ValeWildlifeHospital
BBC News
12-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Norwich hedgehog rescuer asks for help to keep animals hydrated
A man who has rescued hedgehogs for 30 years has urged people to leave shallow bowls of water outside to help keep the animals hydrated during the Claxton, 79, from Norwich, said the high temperatures had led to an increase in dehydrated mother hedgehogs abandoning their also asked the public to check long grass for hedgehogs before using lawnmowers or grass strimmers."Hedgehogs are like all mammals, we're dependent on water. But hedgehogs are far more dependent than other mammals," Mr Claxton said. "If they don't get sufficient water taken on board each night, the risk is that [their] organs start to shut down."The UK is experiencing its third heatwave of the summer, with temperatures rising above 30C across the country. Mr Claxton set up TSA Rescue in Norwich and learned to care for hedgehogs after he found one that was injured 30 years later undertook training at Vale Wildlife Hospital. He said that dehydration and injuries from grass-cutting equipment were the two main reasons hedgehogs were being brought to him for treatment. "[Hedgehogs] need to take on fluid to feed their young because it gets to a stage whereby they can't [provide the fluids due to dehydration], then the mother will say, my survival comes first," he is currently hand-rearing four hoglets, believing their mother abandoned them due to a lack of in a 2022 State of Britain's Hedgehogs report estimated there had been a loss of between a third and three-quarters of the hedgehog population nationally in the last two decades "I get some [hedgehogs with] injuries [from grass-cutting equipment] where they remove part of the head - I get injuries where they remove part of the legs," he said it made him "angry" when he saw hedgehogs coming in with these kinds of injuries and urged people to check for sleeping hedgehogs before using a grass strimmer."Please don't just use the strimmer straight away because the injuries they cause are simply horrendous," he said. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Worcestershire park has duck vending machine installed by charity
A "duck vending machine" has been installed at a park in Worcestershire to help ducks thrive on a healthy diet. The new installation, can be found at Vines Park in Droitwich Spa and was supplied by the Feed the Ducks Initiative at no cost to Wychavon District Council. For £1, visitors to the park can use the machine to feed wild birds healthily and sustainably, rather than using bread which can lead to machine is also powered by solar energy and made from 20,000 recycled plastic bottles. Councillor Beverley Hardman said: "We are excited to work with Feed the Ducks on this project. "It is a wonderful opportunity for our community to connect with the environment and help care for our local ducks and waterfowl. "I can't wait to see everyone enjoying this new addition to our parks."For every pound spent, 10% will be given to Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre, a wildlife charity which offers help to injured birds and other animals.A charity representative, Natalie Gould, said: "The Feed the Ducks Initiative is a fantastic way to provide safe, nutritious food for water birds with minimal impact on the environment."We are so grateful that we've been chosen to receive donations through the initiative, too. We hope that all councils follow suit." Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Tewkesbury animal charity hit with £12k bill over VAT dispute
An animal charity has been charged more than £12,000 after its energy provider said it had been paying the wrong rate of Wildlife Hospital & Rehabilitation Centre in Beckford, near Tewkesbury, was informed by British Gas that it had incorrectly been paying VAT at the 5% charity rate, rather than the standard 20% founder Caroline Gould said she believed that although the centre operated a small shop, it was entitled to pay the lower rate because more than 60% of the premises are used for charitable Gas has been approached for comment. Ms Gould said that there had never previously been a problem over the matter before the backdated charge but British Gas said some of the site's activity is classed as a business, meaning it would now move to the higher VAT rate."As a charity, we've always submitted a VAT declaration and it's always been approved straight away. We did the same with British Gas when we started with them, which was in November 2023," Ms Gould added."The first thing we had was just an email saying that they no longer thought we were entitled to the 5% VAT anymore, so from now on, they would be taking the 20%."I opened the bank account one morning a couple of weeks ago and found that they'd taken £12,200 out of our account." Ms Gould said that she believed that the utility company had overlooked the fact that the charity raised significant funds outside of the hospital building."They can see from our accounts that we do a lot of sale of goods, but we've got two charity shops," she said."We sell on eBay, which is done by volunteers outside of the hospital. We go and do talks, which is outside of the hospital. We do outside fundraisers."So the vast majority of our sale of goods, as they've put it, is outside of the hospital. But they won't listen."Vale Wildlife Hospital, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024, relies on public donations to continue its work, with running costs of about £75,000 a treated more than 8,000 animals last year, including foxes, badgers, birds, rabbits and hedgehogs.
