Zoo charity gets vital business sponsors

A RECENTLY launched charity has received a funding boost from two companies allowing it to continue rescuing animals and giving them a home.

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity, which utilises the Wildlife Park to host its fundraising events, was recently established to give financial support to conservation projects both home and abroad.

One of the main focuses for this year is to build a new, much larger Hedgehog Hospital, to alleviate the ever-growing demand on the Wildlife Park.

This programme has struggled both financially and physically to keep running, with its continuous success being attributed to supplementary donations of both food and funding from members of the public.

However, in recent years the current ‘temporary unit’ has found itself unable to cope with the extreme numbers turning up at the door, and has resorted to keepers taking hedgehogs home to care for.

The unit has already admitted 19 hoglets in just the last two weeks requiring round the clock feeding, with the Wildlife Park’s quarantine room being used as a make shift hedgehog nursery.

The charity to date, has raised nearly �4,000 towards it’s original �10,000 target for this particular project, thanks to the generosity of two local companies, Simon Rawlinson at Marley-Eternit Ltd, Meldreth, and Ashley Theakstone at Excell Fire Safety, Hitchin.

Simon has also offered additional building materials for this project direct from Marley-Eternit, which has helped to keep building material expenses to a minimum.

Charity trustee Jane Taylor said: “Without funding from such wonderful businesses this project could not have even been considered this year, we are just so grateful to both Simon and Ashley for their support and hope that other companies may follow their lead.”

If anyone is interested in learning more about the charity, or wishes to make a donation, email enquiries to: swccharity@hotmail.co.uk.

For more information on the Wildlife Park visit sheprethwildlifepark.co.uk.