Rescue centre facing 'heartbreaking' closure

Prickles has cared for more than 8,000 hedgehogs since it was founded in 2007

A hedgehog rescue centre has warned it is at risk of shutting down.

Prickles, based in Cheddar, told BBC Radio Somerset it is facing a "financial crisis" due to rising running costs and the upcoming closure of its charity shop.

Its founder, Jules Bishop, said the centre, which is mainly run by volunteers, needed more than £100,000 a year to keep services running, but it currently had only two months of funding left.

"We're facing heartbreak... it would be absolutely devastating if the charity was to close," she said.

Prickles offers a 24/7 emergency service for unwell, injured or orphaned hedgehogs found across the West of England.

It has cared for more than 8,000 animals since it was founded in 2007, with the majority rehabilitated and released back into the wild.

The charity said cost of living pressures had caused care costs, including hedgehog food prices, to increase and the centre's utility bill to double in the past 18 months.

"Prickles has hit a financial crisis – one that I've never ever experienced before," Ms Bishop said.

"It's absolutely terrible. We have people phoning us up in tears. We have volunteers in tears. I've been in tears," she added.

The Prickles charity shop on Union Street, which helps fund its work, is due to shut in September. Ms Bishop said the building's current landlord had allowed Prickles to use the space rent-free but was selling up.

Jules Bishop is the founder of Prickles Hedgehog Rescue Centre in Cheddar

The expected loss of income from the shop combined with rising running costs meant staying open would likely not be possible beyond the end of September, Ms Bishop said.

A fundraiser set up by the charity saw more than £7,000 donated in its first four days.

The centre is looking to raise £25,000 to keep it open for four more months as it works on future plans.

It is also looking for new premises for a shop in the area.

The centre says it needs more than £100,000 a year to keep services running

Secret World Wildlife Rescue in East Huntspill is the nearest site to Prickles which also cares for hedgehogs.

If Prickles were to shut down it would likely take in "quite a lot" of its animals, according to Secret World's wildlife and veterinary services manager Lauren Valentine.

But, she said, with limited capacity "there may be animals that end up being euthanised that potentially wouldn't necessarily be if there were the space and resources".

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) said there were around 500 independent rescue centres like Prickles in the UK.

Ecologist and BHPS spokesperson Hugh Warwick said: "It's always sad when one of the many rescue centres around the country is suffering."