A nearby rescue centre which takes in hedgehogs from Alsager has shared advice on how locals can help protect – and potentially save – hedgehogs this winter season.

Baddeley Green Hedgehog Rescue Centre, which opened in 2018, provides care and rehabilitation for sick, injured and orphaned hedgehogs, as well as offering advice to the public.

The centre currently cares for around 80 hedgehogs from the local area, including many from Alsager and is looking for more support from the Alsager area.

Most years, the centre has a stall at Alsager Christmas lights switch-on and will be there at this year's switch-on on Sunday, 29 November.

Clare, founder of the rescue centre, has offered some advice for locals about how to help hedgehogs through the winter, and what to do if you find one in the daytime.

She said: "Any hedgehog out in the daytime now is going to be in trouble, severe trouble."

Clare advised that anyone who finds a hedgehog in the day, should "collect it up, pop it in a box and keep it somewhere safe and warm, inside preferably".

She added: "They're very good climbers, they've got very long legs, so make sure the box is quite high.

"Avoid feeding and watering straight away. The first port to call is to contact your local rescue which you can find on www.helpwildlife.co.uk."

If a hedgehog needs to be kept overnight, Clare recommends that they are kept somewhere warm and given a small amount of food.

" Not a lot at all," she added.

"It's not starvation that they're struggling from, it's illness. So just get them warm and then get them into a rescue."

She also recommends that hedgehogs are fed with "high quality" kitten biscuit and cat food to help them get more protein.

For households who want to support local hedgehogs, and attract them to their gardens, Clare also offered some advice.

She said: "The first thing to do is to make gaps in fences so that they can pass from garden to garden without going on the road.

"Leave leaf litter, put log piles in, and if you want to go as far as a small wildlife pond, that's absolutely amazing."

She added: "Always leave out water, and if you want to help feed them, you can make a feed station.

"They're quite easy, you can make them out of an upturned plastic box."

Clare explained that feed stations can be "lifesavers" for hedgehogs that are too unwell to hunt.

"Just leaving out biscuits or sachet cat meat really, really helps them," she added.

She also recommended that households who are keen to spot hedgehogs in the gardens should "be persistent with feeding".

Clare said: "Don't get despondent, if they don't come one night it doesn't mean that they've left.

"If you know that you've got them in the area, just be persistent with the feeding and make sure your gaps are okay. They will find their way to you, they will smell the food and they will come."

Locals can also support the rescue centre directly as volunteers.

Baddeley Green Hedgehog Rescue Centre is currently calling out for volunteers to spend one morning a week – from 9am to 1pm – helping out at the centre.

For those who have limited spare time but still want to support the centre, there are options to donate.

Clare said: "The biggest thing you can do to help the rescue, if not volunteering, is to become a pound a month saviour."

This allows people to sign up to donate £1 each month, which is used to fund food; medication and vet bills; heating and utilities; and rehabilitation for sick and injured hedgehogs.

Business sponsorship opportunities are also available.

To find out more about Baddeley Green Hedgehog Rescue Centre, visit the website here or the Facebook page here.

Anyone interested in volunteering should email Robyn at [email protected]

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