'We have just fallen through the cracks': Unique wildlife rescue centre in the Harborough district makes urgent plea for your help

Here's how you can help the charity during this tough time
A fantastic Harborough wildlife rescue centre is making an urgent plea for help after being badly affected by the Covid crisis for almost a year.A fantastic Harborough wildlife rescue centre is making an urgent plea for help after being badly affected by the Covid crisis for almost a year.
A fantastic Harborough wildlife rescue centre is making an urgent plea for help after being badly affected by the Covid crisis for almost a year.

A fantastic Harborough wildlife rescue centre is making an urgent plea for help after being badly affected by the Covid crisis for almost a year.

Hard-working staff at Leicestershire Wildlife Hospital on Fleckney Road, Kibworth Beauchamp, are just about keeping their heads above water as they run this unique local nature resource.

But they desperately need your support as they face several more months before they can launch a serious fundraising programme.

A fantastic Harborough wildlife rescue centre is making an urgent plea for help after being badly affected by the Covid crisis for almost a year.A fantastic Harborough wildlife rescue centre is making an urgent plea for help after being badly affected by the Covid crisis for almost a year.
A fantastic Harborough wildlife rescue centre is making an urgent plea for help after being badly affected by the Covid crisis for almost a year.

And all the time the bills keep rolling in.

They are forced to fork out a staggering £600-a-month for their electricity alone to power the incubators to keep vulnerable baby hedgehogs alive.

Based off the main road from Saddington into Kibworth at the rear of Birds Barn, Angie Downham, the founder, is now issuing a critical new SoS for help through the Harborough Mail.

“My team here are truly amazing and they’ve done a brilliant job to keep us going all the way through this devastating pandemic.

“I can’t thank my staff Harriet Childs, Amy Ducker and Sammy Parsons enough for all the work, the hours and the sheer effort they have put in so that we are still here today,” said Angie, who set up the iconic hospital in 1984.

“We also have about 60 first-rate and selfless local volunteers from the Kibworths and surrounding area who come in regularly to keep us ticking over.

“But we also urgently need to find new ways of generating cash so that we can continue to survive and prosper for many years to come.

“The coronavirus lockdowns have been so hard because we’ve obviously not been able to stage our usual fundraising events such as raffles, coffee mornings, car boot sales and that sort of thing.

“And vital charities like ours have had no financial help at all from the Government during this very worrying time.

“We have just fallen through the cracks.

“We are doing our absolute best to evolve and adapt to the bizarre new situation all the time,” said Angie, who’s poured her heart and soul into running the wildlife hospital over almost four decades.

“We are now selling household items and clothes as well as general bric a brac – and it’s all good quality stuff.

“These items have been donated to us over the last year or so and they are proving a huge hit online.

“Our shop’s called Robin’s Nest and we’re offering a courier service too to make it even easier and more convenient for our customers.

“So please take the time and trouble to have a look at the shop on our website.

“And we’ll also take any top quality goods or bits and pieces as well to help us along the way,” stressed Angie.

People have also been kindly making donations to us when they bring in animals and birds for us to look after.

“We are very grateful for their support.

“Even £1 helps to buy us food for our ‘patients’ or goes towards paying a bill.

“As well as power, waste disposal costs us about £1,500-a-month, vets’ bills top £500-a-month and food tots up to about £1,000-a-month.

“That’s a heck of a lot of cash to have to shell out month in month out for a small charity like ours,” said Angie.

“But we are the only wildlife hospital and haven of our type in the whole of Leicestershire.

“People bring sick and struggling birds and animals to us from right across the East Midlands.

“We are looking after over 200 hedgehogs at the moment.

“And if it wasn’t for us and my staff and volunteers a lot of these poor creatures would simply die.

“So please do all you can to get behind us lock, stock and barrel.

“We are hoping to put on special pop-up shops when we can and we’ve got lots of other great ideas too.

“And I can’t finish without thanking our local community in the Kibworths and right across Harborough for giving us your support and helping us fight the good fight.

“So thank you very much – we couldn’t do it without you and we wouldn’t still be here without you all.”

You can check out the wildlife hospital’s online shop at: https://www.leicestershirewildlifehospital.org.uk/shop/And you can go on to their Facebook page to buy “fantastic” hedgehog houses at £35 each with the proceeds going to the wildlife hospital: https://www.facebook.com/leicestershire.wildlife.hospital/

Related topics: