A WARRINGTON charity fighting to save the hedgehog from extinction is in desperate need of funding.
Warrington Hedgehog Rescue, founded by Virginia Jones, believes the small, secretive animal could be extinct in the UK by 2025.
There was a decline of more than 20 per cent between 2001 and 2004.
Virginia said: “It is not an under-estimation to say that we have little over a decade to save the hedgehog.”
But local residents now have an opportunity to help Virginia and the local hedgehog population – by having their ovens cleaned.
Warrington-based oven valeting business Ovenu will be donating five per cent of their fee to the charity during August.
Virginia said: “The charity is totally self-funded, so fundraising efforts such as Ovenu’s are crucial to our survival.
“The work we are doing to save the species on the frontline is so valuable to their survival. If we can raise awareness of things that people can do, such as being more vigilant when they are using lawn mowers or strimmers in their gardens, avoiding laying slug pellets and ensuring that garden fences have spaces for our native mammals to pass under safely, then they will be helping to save the hedgehog.”
Ovenu boss Paul Clark, 49, said: “I am delighted to be helping in some small way to make a big difference to the future of one of our most endangered native mammals. Aside from the money that will be generated, which is vital to the work Virginia and her team are doing, I hope that many more people will now be alerted to the plight of the hedgehog.
“The rescue centre is also appealing for urgent donations of cat and dog food, as this forms the staple diet of the rescued hedgehogs.”
The Ovenu valeting process involves dismantling key components of an oven such as the door, interior panels, fan and shelves and placing them into design-registered tank equipment, which uses safe, non-caustic products to clean the oven parts. The whole process takes around three to four hours and leaves the oven, hob and exterior in immaculate condition.
For more information about Ovenu, or to make a booking with Paul, call: 01925 453377 or visit: www.ovenuwarrington.net
To donate cat or dog food, call Virginia Jones on 01925 837527 or for more information visit the British Hedgehog Preservation Society at www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk
Help save the hedgehog
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
6 Comments
Thanks for this it’s given me an idea that it might make a good talking point for our next Warrington Nature Conservation Forum in September – if Virginia is available. We’ve been talking about them recently on our Facebook site…
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Warrington-Nature-Conservation-Forum/110886079024465
Geoff, is the parish council planning another funday – perhaps they could offer this hedgehog group a stall on it.
I am making an official fundraising promotional video tomorrow (Sunday) for the Warrington Hedgehog Rescue with Virginia and Paul. It will be broadcast widely via Youtube channels and various sites from the 20th July !!!! Watch out for the video here on WWW too !! :-))
Good idea Nick the Funday supported by the Parish Council is on Saturday 15th September and they would be very welcome indeed, I believe that they are just down the road from Fearnhead Cross and may have been to the fun day last year or it may have been at the Peel Hall Park Fun day when I met them at their stall BTW the Peel Hall Funday is this Saturday.
Hi Geoff – Yes the WHR will be attending the Funday at Peel Hall Park this saturday and I will be there as a new volunteer/recruit 🙂 Hedgehog awareness needs to be spread far and wide so please pass this on.
Thanks James for all your time and efforts in helping with this fund raising and awareness video. Ovenu will be donating a percentage of every oven cleaned during August to the Hedgehog Rescue and we are appealing to any local people and businessess who would be kind enough to donate any money or tins of dog or cat food to help feed the hedgehogs in the rescue until they are fit enough to be released back into the wild.