At this time of year, we need to start thinking about the welfare of our local hedgehog populations.

Many, on account of the changes in climate and season, will have been born quite late in the summer or autumn and will be far too small to survive hibernation.

This is where we at Wandle Valley come in. This year we will expect to admit more than 100 of these tiny waifs in addition to all the hundreds of animals that will require our medical services.

Hibernation places considerable demands upon the body's resources as fat reserves are drained over a five month period in order to sustain the heart at a minimal level.

Only hedgehogs weighing in at more than 600 grams are sufficiently heavy and any falling below this weight must come in.

At the hospital, they can be kept in warmer quarters which will prevent them from hibernating and as such they will carry on eating as normal so that, come the spring, they will be nice and heavy for the breeding season.

We desperately need financial support to cope with this influx as each hedgehog will cost around £3 per week to feed and care for. That may not sound a lot but when you multiply that by an average stay of 20 weeks you get £60 per hedgehog.

Now multiply that by 100 hedgehogs (probably more!) and you get a figure of £6,000 just to look after winter hedgehogs and that's before we meet our normal running costs or treat the sick and injured animals that we are primarily here to serve!

If you would like to help with our hedgehog appeal, require more information, including a copy of our free Caring for Hedgehogs leaflet, or if you find an underweight hog then call us on 0181 647 6230 or send your donation to us at Beddington Park, Church Road, Wallington, SM6 7NN.

Alternatively, you may like to visit our Christmas fair at the hospital in Beddington Park where you will have a chance to see our outside animals including the resident foxes in their new pen.

The fair is on Saturday, December 5, from noon until 4pm - admission is £1 adults and 25p for children and includes all the usual festive attractions.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.