The hedgehog rescue that was already full raised £45,000 for room to care for more

A hedgehog rescue in Buckinghamshire has raised £45,000 for a new home after reaching the limit of what its current sheds can handle. Rachel and Dominic Matthews run Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue from separate buildings on the Northamptonshire-Buckinghamshire border. The charity cares for about 250 hedgehogs a year. 1

The headline number is encouraging. The detail underneath is why the project matters: the rescue has been operating at capacity since June. A new hedgehog can come in only when another one leaves. 1

That is a hard limit to meet when the work involves sick, abandoned and injured animals. The rescue's own description is simple: first aid, rehabilitation and release. Its current intensive-care unit has six incubators, and patients move on to a rehabilitation area called the "Hogstable" before returning to the wild. 2

The rescue's current ICU is a small room with a very practical purpose: incubators, supplies and enough equipment to watch vulnerable animals closely. The new building is meant to give that work a single, better-organized home.

Rachel Matthews told the BBC that the project began because the rescue fills up every year. The planned building will double capacity in both rehabilitation and intensive care. That change affects the handoff between the two stages: the charity will be able to care for animals and move them through recovery in one location, rather than working across separate sheds. 1

The new facility is planned as a modular building at Manor Farm, near Buckingham, with an expected opening in early 2027. The design will include outdoor pens as well as combined rehabilitation and ICU space. A modular building also gives the charity flexibility: the BBC reported that it could be moved if the rescue later needed to relocate. 1

The original estimate was about £50,000. The modular option reduced the cost, and supporters helped the total rise quickly over the past six months. Matthews said she had initially been unsure whether the rescue could raise that much, then thanked the people who supported the project. 1

The project still belongs to the future. The £45,000 raised has created a route to more room; it has not made the need disappear. For now, the rescue remains a place where a phone call can matter.

The charity asks people to contact it when a hedgehog is out in daylight, appears lethargic, has flies settling on it, screams, limps or circles. A sow with hoglets should be left undisturbed while the rescue is called. Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue lists 07943 174349 and info@deanshangerhedgehogrescue.org.uk as contact details. 2

For the full project report, read the BBC account of the planned new home. For first-party care guidance and contact details, use Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue's information page.