Foundation Memorial Project : Hedgehog Unit

The Foundation has donated £4500.00 to construct a purpose built enclosure which will be able to house up to 40 of the 500 juvenile hedgehogs which ‘overwinter’ annually at the Harper Asprey Wildlife Centre in Surrey. The enclosure is made from galvanised steel mesh panels including the floor and roof area, to provide complete protection from predators both above and below ground level, and is built on a solid concrete base with drainage. The floor is laid with deep bark chipping.

This enclosure will provide as natural as possible living conditions for the hedgehogs. They are outdoors, with a plentiful supply of food and water. In Spring they are then put into a unique ‘soft-release’ programme that allows them to return to the wild in their own time, and in peak condition.

Nigel Palmer, part of the sanctuary team said “All at Harper Asprey were deeply moved to hear the sad news of Pollyanna’s passing. Pollyanna was an incredibly talented artist but also a compassionate and caring advocate for animals. We send you our love and the strength to continue with the excellent work of the Foundation. It is hard to express our mixture of feelings when we received your cheque to fund a new outdoor hedgehog enclosure at the Rescue Centre. We believe it will be a fitting and lasting tribute as it will continue to help recovering and orphaned juvenile hedgehogs for many years to come. We will be pleased to include a plaque that will state that the enclosure was funded by the Foundation in commemoration. Our volunteers are already referring to the new run as ‘Pollyanna’s’ even though it is not built yet and have asked that in addition we name the first female hedgehog to stay in the enclosure after Pollyanna, which we would be delighted to do. We will of course send you pictures of that lucky hedgehog in due course.”

Pollyanna cared for many hedgehogs in the years she ran her own sanctuary and had a special soft spot for these prickly creatures, which she also loved to paint.

The foundation also chose this specific project, because hedgehogs are in deep trouble. They have declined in population from 30 million in the 1970’s to around 1 million now and at this rate they are likely to be extinct by 2025. Few people seem aware that we have a much-loved domestic species which is declining at a similar rate to tigers and African Elephants. We hope that Pollyanna’s unit will ensure the safe survival of hundreds of hedgehogs in the coming years.