Hedgehog Rescue Grant New

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MarthaAndMaud

MarthaAndMaud

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Hi all.

A devastating update on my hedgehog rescue centre grant...yup, you've guessed it......the grant was rejected. Why? Because I don't have a management committee...........

The council even admitted that is was a great idea and a much needed asset for the city as there is nothing similar in Norwich city or the immediate surrounding area.

How crazy is this?....The rescue centre is me, myself, and I.....why would I want 4-7 people with set rules on their part in my rescue centre. My work wouldn't be my own. I'm not even going to bother to appeal....

'Red tape' I guess.........

I have met some really fantastic people in the last few weeks and wouldn't know where to start listing all the donated items we have received. I have someone working on building special hutches and hibernation boxes through items gained through freecycle so it's not costing a penny.
I've received cat carriers, blankets, towels, cat food, shelving units, etc etc but the money was dearly needed for heat pads and drugs.

I have found a large vet practice who will take us into their care and have agreed to supply me with all the drugs I need to be able to treat any hedgehogs at the same level as they do. This is my main concern now as I desperatley need these drugs and this was going to take up at least £270 - £290 of the grant I had applied for.

I won't give up though, I received so many emails of support and thank you all for helping. I will just have to find another ways of finding the money.

rant over....thank you for listening..
Claire
 
Sorry to hear that Claire ... just keep going, don't give up!

You are a diamond! :)
 
maybe go public with it?

I mean, I have seen it so many times in the papers, just on top off my head a few recent cases:

Kid puts up missing cat pictures and receives fine for littering - until mum contacts press, everybody is shaking their head about the council, council apologises.

Old guy gets told off by council because he is mowing their lawn for them - until the papers get wind off it, all of a sudden council apologises for any misunderstanding the letter might have caused.

Well, and now hedgehog hospital does not receive funding - because they do not have enough staff? I say, round up people to go collect signatures, contact the local paper, and maybe silly paper like the daily mail who always want soppy stories especially coming up to christmas - and state in your most tearjerking way how all these little fellas might die without proper care, and how red tape is more important than animals lifes.
And squeeze a tear out when you tell the reporter.

That might be enough to do it....

Good luck in any case!
 
Oh Claire what a blow, but don't let it get you down. It sounds like you have met lots of wonderful people over the last week or so. I think it is a great idea to go public, after all you had the initial press coverage so why not ask them to do a follow up story so that you can tell everyone about the ridiculous politics and red tape.

Keep up the good work.
 
It's public money and as such you have to have a management committee to make sure that the money is spent on the animals and not on personal spending.

Personally I'd look into what the council are asking of you, see about becoming a registered charity as you can then apply for lottery funding as well. Yes, it'll take it away from you a little and won't just be your venture but it'll be worth it in the end.
 
Pah, what rotten news. I bet the real reason is that they have allocated all the money to other "worthy" causes such as safaris for young thugs and Health and Safety steering comittees and all the other rubbish they spend our money on.
Try what Abnoba suggests and see what happens... good luck! Poor little hedgies!
 
At least as you say you have met lots of nice people and I am sure the grant not coming through is dissapointing but don't give up. There is the rescue you are working with and sevral others in the area helping local
hedgehogs so I am sure that they will all find somewhere to go.

Locally there is another centre that looks after hedgehogs linked with easton college and many various organisations that need volunteer placements, also members of the public of all backgrounds help in the care and release of their animals they have 30 + hedgehogs at the moment.

The red tape of this world stops a lot of us doing what we would like unfortunately, good luck.
 
Aw Claire, I am so sorry to hear that. I can understand where they are coming from unfortunately, if they didn't insist on a committee every tom, dick and harry would be going claiming they needed funding for this, that and the other.

It is such a shame as it just such a worth cause.

It think what Caviesgalore has suggested about doing a follow-up story in the press - I'm sure there are loads of people who would like to know how you got on following that article and would be very willing to show their support. Don't give up!
 
Bad luck Claire, but I agree about going to the papers and rather than council bashing, mourn the good that will be lost down to lack of funding. Glad to hear you are not giving up!
 
Hi

Thanks everyone. I've now had time to calm down and having spoken again to the council and the volunteer services in Norwich and I have taken onboard some hints and advice. I am therefore not going to give up on this grant yet. I have three people 'on-board' all with knowledgable backgrounds and influential in the world of animals and I am waiting to hear back from another three. If these people agree then we will put together the management committee that the council require as I trust all these people and would welcome them without hesitation as becoming part of the rescue centre.

Thanks everyone for your personal messages. It's lovely that so many of you care.
 
frank said:
Can you post a picture of a hedgehog?
Click to expand...


babyhh.jpg


The above pic is my latest arrival. She was passed to me in the week from a local vets. She is very small and sits in the palm of one hand. Enjoying her meal of goats milk and cat food, having come off being syringe fed only yesterday.
 
I love Hedgies!

I am so glad you are persuing this and hope you are successful second time around!
 
As I said to Claire, we usually have loads of hedgies that pass through our garden each night. I feed them every evening - they have a handful of hedgehog pellets and a bowl of fresh water by the side.

But this year, I have noticed a sharp decline in the number of hedgies visiting. I guess it is the weather ... but we really miss them.

I have had occasions of courting on my back lawn. No, not me ... I wish 8;) ... but hedgehogs in an embrace! ;):))

I remember once, going up to a big hedgehog to speak to it and realising that he was having a hedgie-back with another! :red ... and what did I say? ... Yes, excuse me! Am I mad or what?! :x
 
Goldie said:
As I said to Claire, we usually have loads of hedgies that pass through our garden each night. I feed them every evening - they have a handful of hedgehog pellets and a bowl of fresh water by the side.
But this year, I have noticed a sharp decline in the number of hedgies visiting. I guess it is the weather ... but we really miss them.
Click to expand...

Sadly it isn't the weather so much, although that may be a contributory factor. Our local hedgehog rescue man is experiencing many being taken by foxes, they've worked out a way to catch the unsuspecting hoggie. But there are very many road accidents, and sadly even accidents in the garden with bonfires, strimmers, etc. They are such sweet little animals, and anything that can be done to help them, as Claire is doing, is wonderful.
 
I love hedgehogs ... in my eyes they are like prickly guinea pigs!

I do think it was the wet summer that didn't help them. Perhaps the babies got damp when normally they would be dry and become ill and didn't thrive.

Whatever has happened though, I really miss them!
 
Thanks everyone

Their decline in numbers is due to a lot of factors.

The biggy is the fact that slug pellets kill and so does weed killer and pesticides.

Then there's a horrid disease called lungworm that can kill a hh within three weeks. This disease shows up as green sludgy poo. We have had a lovely girl delivered to us this afternoon with a severe case. I have treated her for lungworm and given her a respitory drug and now all I can do is keep her warm and fed. However on checking half an hour ago she has blood in her poo so I doubt she will survive.

Gardening and strimming accidents kill and injure a lot of hhs.

Many 1000s did die this year because of the floods that various counties encountered.

The very important thing to remember is that any hedgehog seen in the garden during the day needs immediate medical treatment as something will be wrong.

Claire
xx
 
MarthaAndMaud said:
The very important thing to remember is that any hedgehog seen in the garden during the day needs immediate medical treatment as something will be wrong.

Claire
xx
Click to expand...

Exactly ... a hedgehog visible during the day is either in distress or passed away!

A couple of months ago my husband came home from his night shift and said that there was a hedgehog in the front garden and he thought it was dead. I immediately went out there and although it was lying on its back with an injury to its chest, I could see a really shallow breathing going on.

I popped it in a box and took it up my local vets ... who I must add are absolutely fab with everything. I was late into work and waited until 2pm when instructed to phone the vets to see how the hedgehog was doing. Unfortunately, it wasn't good news and the injury to the hh was too great for it to survive and it was pts.

I often think that he might have been my stud garden hedgehog ... hence the decline in babies this year, coupled with the awful weather.

Keep us the good work, Claire. Perhaps, I will follow you in that direction soon for my part of the country! :)
 
Sorry to hear that "round one" was unsuccessful but don't give up. Get the pointers from them and others who already run such rescue centre and try again.

Often Council is difficult the first time and second time then stuff gets better.
Good luck for the next "rounds".
 
don't give up :) I'm sure if you put your mind to it you will become very successful..Everything has it's perks and it bad times...
 
sueg said:
Our local hedgehog rescue man is experiencing many being taken by foxes, they've worked out a way to catch the unsuspecting hoggie.
Click to expand...


Sue is also correct with the above. The fox waits for the hedgehog to walk off then unsuspectingly grabs it by the back legs.
 
oh i am so sorry to hear this, although i think is completely ridiculous!

Glad to see you arent going to give up! keep going girl!
 
You'll all be pleased to know that we got the grant!

I had to re-submit it after it was initially turned down. I now have a panel of committee members to help me out and between us the council have agreed to give us the full £500 available.

This is such fantastic news as we have had so many hhs in this week I was beginning to struggle. I can now go out and buy all the drugs I need to be able to treat them on the same level as the vet. We also have a local vet who had agreed to supply me with everything we need, from sharps to cremation.

The team we put together consists ot little ol me and Adam my partner, Sueg who you will all know from here, Cheryl who you will all know as SGPRescue, an accountant I have known for 16 years, a veterinary assistant and a friend who owns a yahoo group that re-homes all unwanted pets.

We received so many emails of support so a big thank you to everyone who helped and all of those of you who offered to help in other ways, thank you again.

Claire
xx
 
that is fantastic news! i am so pleased you finally got the result we had all been hoping for!
 
Congratulations! We've been following your story and keeping our fingers crossed for you.

It must be such a relief as your own resources can only stretch so far.

xx
 
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