Deanshanger hedgehog charity to double capacity with new home

A hedgehog rescue charity has raised £45,000 for a new home that will double the number of animals it can care for.

Rachel and Dominic Matthews currently run Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue from sheds at separate locations on the Northamptonshire-Buckinghamshire border, where they look after about 250 of the creatures each year.

The charity's new home will be a modular building at Manor Farm, near Buckingham, and is expected to open in early 2027.

Rachel said: "The main reason we set up this project is because we get full every year, so this will double our capacity, not only in rehabilitation but also in our ICU."

The charity explained that it had been operating at capacity since June, admitting a new hedgehog as soon as another was discharged.

At the new location, they will be able to combine the rehab and the ICU, while also having space for outdoor pens.

Initially they expected the new building to cost about £50,000, but the charity found it could reduce the cost by using a modular building, which could also be moved if it needed to relocate.

Rachel added: "We didn't dream that we would get there as quickly as we have, because obviously it was a lot of money for us to raise.

"It seemed like such a lot of money at the start and I really didn't know whether we would actually do it, but in the last six months it rocketed... So thank you for everyone that supported us."

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