VIDEO: Wirral mum raises concerns over hedgehog safety as Bonfire Night approaches

Claire Williams has dedicated her life to rescuing needy hedgehogs and has made it her mission to protect the critters from everyday dangers like fires, lawnmowers and garden forks.

With Bonfire Night fast approaching, Claire – who runs Wallasey Hedgehog Rescue with her husband Steve – is urging people to check for sleeping hogs under their woodpile.

“Hedgehogs would easily crawl under a woodpile and stay there. Ideally people should move the bonfire to a different place before lighting it,” said 36-year-old Claire.

“It takes 10 minutes to check for a hedgehog underneath the bonfire but once you light it, that’s it, they don’t stand a chance.”

Wallasey Hedgehog Rescue has looked after hundreds of hedgehogs since it began five years ago. Pic by Emma Rigby.

Claire has run the centre for five years, caring for hedgehogs and releasing them back into the wild.

She has even helped to hand-rear hoglets who, without her help, would not have survived.

“My granddad absolutely loved hedgehogs and always had them in his garden. He got me into them and when he died, I wanted something to remember him so I started this,” said Claire.

“It just took off and we’ve saved hundreds over the years. We’ve been going five years now and they just keep coming.”

The not-for-profit organisation, which runs out of a state-of-the-art “hogspital” in Claire’s back garden – built by husband Steve – is self-funded with food donations from the public.

But Claire says that while hedgehogs are her main focus, she aims to help whatever animal she can.

She said: “We’ve had the police ask us to take sheep and pot-bellied pigs. The way we work is that yes, it’s a hedgehog rescue but if we have got space and someone phones us up and says they have got this dove or have just found a rabbit, we’ll take it.

“And if we can’t help it, we’ll phone someone else that can.”

Claire's sons Reace, aged six, and Ryan, aged 10, give their mum a helping hand whenever they can. Picture by Emma Rigby.

Looking after close to 70 hedgehogs, as well as four children, is a full-time job for Claire and Steve.

“There are times when I think I would like to have a 9-5 job but I wouldn’t be able to stop doing this,” said Claire, who also gives talks to schoolchildren to raise awareness about hedgehogs.

“It’s hard work and it’s a full time job but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

As a self-confessed hedgehog expert, Claire works hard to dispel some misconceptions people have about the spiky critters.

“I realise some people think that hedgehogs are full of fleas but that’s not the case, in five years, we’ve had about six hogs with fleas and even if they do, they are host-specific so will not live on anything other than the hog.”

Hedgehogs are nocturnal creatures and while mother hogs may venture out during the day to find extra food for their young during the spring, any spotted outside at this time of year should be rescued.

“If you see a hedgehog outside in the day it isn’t sunbathing, it’s asking for help,” said Claire.

“If they are outside during the day, please catch him up, place in a high-sided box with a hot water bottle covered with a towel and then give us a call.”

If you do see a hedgehog in your garden, Claire advises people to pick it up and weigh it.

“Any weighing less than 600g are unlikely to survive hibernation and will need to be overwintered – that’s when you need to give us a call for further advice,” explained Claire.

• To donate to Wallasey Hedgehog Rescue, or if you have any questions about hedgehogs in your garden, call Claire on 0151 201 5172 or 07923830733.
   
• Search for Hedgehog-Rescue Wallasey on Facebook.

Three of the hoglets currently being cared for at Wallasey Hedgehog Rescue. Picture by Emma Rigby.

What should you feed your garden hedgehog?

• Cat or dog food (not the fish type) in jelly
• Kitten biscuits
• Mealworms
• Water
• Never feed hedgehogs bread or milk – they are lactose intolerant and it will kill them