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"Word got around we were doing hedgehogs and then the floodgates opened." The Folly Centre

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Hedgehogs

We all like to think we're in control of our lives, but what would you do if the telephone rang one day and changed your life?

For one family in Tunbridge Wells that's exactly what happened when fate came to call, 20 years ago.

Inside Out meets the family who have turned over their home to hedgehogs.

The call of nature

Dave and Annette were just a normal couple, going to work every day and coming home to a nice quiet house.

But all that changed one night when the telephone rang.

Dave explains, "It all began in 1987 when some people were having a bonfire in their garden.

"We don't know who they were, but they're the ones who started it all."

The Folly Wildlife Trust looks after injured hedgehogs

It turned out that someone had found an injured hedgehog by the bonfire and didn't know what to do, so they rang Dave and Annette.

"I don't know why they rang us," said Annette.

"I did work for an animal charity at the time, but I was in merchandising.

"How do you look after a hedgehog?"

But being wildlife lovers, they tried to help anyway, and since then their involvement with injured animals has spiralled out of control.

Dave and Annette have looked after thousands of animals at their home in Kent - which is now better known as the Folly Wildlife Rescue Trust.

All creatures great and small

It may have started with just one little hedgehog but Dave and Annette soon became the first port of call for anyone with a wildlife question, as Dave explains;

"Word got around we were doing hedgehogs and then the floodgates opened.

"Within a couple of years we were taking in dozens."

And it wasn't just hedgehogs - people started bringing in baby birds which had fallen out of the nest and small animals which had been injured by cars.

It soon became clear to the couple that they couldn't cope with the demand so in 1993 they moved into a bigger house in Eridge Green, which had more space for the many different animals brought in.

They set themselves up as a charity and devoted their house, their garden and themselves to look after wild animals - full-time.

Every inch of their home has since been converted and dedicated to helping animals - from an intensive care shed to an aviary at the bottom of the garden.

Even their car has now become an animal ambulance, equipped with baskets, graspers, ladders, nets and even a dinghy to help rescue and transport animals in trouble.

With the help of the local vet, two part-time staff and about 30 local volunteers, Dave and Annette look after about 3,000 sick and injured animals every year, from baby birds to foxes, badgers and even deer.

A prickly subject

But it's still hedgehogs which make up the biggest number of patients, as Dave explains.

"Being close to humans is their undoing, so they have a rough time."

As well as being hit by cars, hedgehogs are often injured in our back gardens by lawnmowers and other electrical equipment.

Dave says, "Strimmers are designed to cut grass in awkward places under bushes, but that's just the place where hedgehogs like to live."

Visit the Hedgehog photo gallery

Small animals are also injured or trapped by sports equipment, uncovered pipes and in ponds, so it's important that people can come to The Folly for advice and to seek treatment.

Despite the couple's best efforts some of the injured hedgehogs brought in may not survive - some are so badly injured that they have to be put to sleep, and others may not recover well enough to be released back into the wild.

Adopt-a-hedgehog

The couple now run an adoption scheme where people can sponsor a hedgehog living at The Folly.

And they even run their own helpline for people to call when they find an injured animal.

The Trust now runs an education scheme which hopes to show people how they can prevent animals from being injured in their surroundings.

Hogging the limelight - a hedgehog in a garden

Dave and Annette's dream is to raise enough money to build a dedicated animal hospital nearby with more space and better facilities for treating wild animals.

The Folly Wildlife Centre Project has raised over 拢70,000 so far from public donations and sponsorship, bringing them one step closer to opening the new centre

Plus it would mean they would get their house back!

Despite giving up their home and most of their lives to animals, the couple wouldn't change a thing:

"It completely took over our lives. But we don't regret one minute of it."

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Wildlife safety at home - top tips

Hedgehog preservation - read our top tips

Drive carefully and if you see an animal in the road slow down or stop, dip your headlights and allow it time to move away.

Check the garden with a torch for small animals and birds on the ground before letting your pets out at night.

Avoid using slug pellets or poison in your back garden, as hedgehogs can sometimes eat these and die.

Always take sports equipment with netting (for example a football goal) down at night as animals can get tangled and trapped.

Be careful while gardening - look under hedges and check compost heaps regularly to make sure nothing is living there.

Avoid over-pruning hedges and trees between March and July as you may disturb nests

Don't take down an old shed between February and July when small mammals may be sheltering their young inside

If you're lucky enough to have a swimming pool make sure you use a cover and check regularly to make sure there are no gaps around the edges or pools of rainwater on top in which an animal could drown.

Ensure chimneys and flues are correctly covered to prevent birds from nesting in them - this can cause a dangerous build-up of fumes which is harmful to birds and humans alike.

Further advice

For more tips and advice call the Trust's helpline on 07957 949 865 (open seven days a week from 8am - 9pm).

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