Woman’s hedgehog rescue mission given cash boost

A DELPH woman providing comfort to endangered hedgehogs has been boosted in her mission by a kind-hearted donation.

Susan Ashworth has been running a hedgehog rescue operation from Hog Manor for around five years.

The retired nurse, who worked in the NHS for 38 years, has taken courses in wild animal welfare and gained considerable experience in working with the spiny mammals.

Susan’s aim is to release rescued hedgehogs back into the wild, once they have sufficiently recovered, to be able to fend for themselves and therefore enhance numbers over time.

Her role is entirely voluntary and, as well as having to commit significant time to the centre, there are costs associated with food, cleaning equipment and medication.

So, Saddleworth Rotary Club have stepped in to give Susan £250 towards her efforts.

She told the club that, in the last 50 years, hedgehog numbers in Britain had reduced from around 30 million to one million in 2019.

Susan said the animal’s plight is almost entirely down to human action, as they have very few native predators.

Loss of habitat is a key factor, she continued, but getting run over, stuck in netting or fencing, and being injured or killed by garden strimmers are among some of the main causes of injury and death.

Clint Elliott, the Rotary Club’s president, visited the centre to see Susan’s work for himself.

“It can usually take around 30 to 40 hedgehogs but Susan is reluctant to turn any way, hoping that if she cannot find space, other rescue centres nearby may be able to help.

“Initially, the time Susan spoke to club members, she had 17 animals in her care but less than two weeks later when I visited Hedgehog Manor, the number had risen to 30.

“After discovering so much about the plight of these delightful animals, our members agreed to donate £250 to help the cost of saving hedgehogs locally and in appreciation of the time and effort Susan puts into this very worthwhile and rewarding venture.

“Club members really enjoyed learning about hedgehogs from Susan, who is clearly dedicated to these animals. It has been a pleasure to help in this small way.”

Expressing her generosity for the donation, Susan added: “The centre relies heavily on the kind donations of local people to continue the work of helping these fascinating and delightful animals survive.”