Most retirees probably dream of travelling, throwing themselves into hobbies, or just putting their feet up for a well-earned rest.
Not Alison Middleton.
The former head teacher has turned her home into Perthshire’s newest hedgehog rescue centre. And she now spends all her waking hours – including a good chunk of the night-time ones – nursing sick and injured hedgehogs back to health.
It’s not how the 66 year-old imagined her future panning out when she retired from working with youngsters with emotional, social and behavioural issues. But the launch of HogsCroft Hedgehog Rescue in the Carse of Gowrie has opened up a whole new chapter for her.
“Hedgehogs have taken over my life,” she laughs. “But that’s okay.
“They’re such beautiful, complex little creatures.
“I really respect them. They don’t have it easy but they’ll do anything and everything to survive.”
Perthshire centre fills space in hedgehog rescue map
Alison, from Inchture, has always been a fan of nature and wildlife. But a trip to the Forth Hedgehog Hospital at Rosyth with a poorly hedgehog from her own garden opened up a whole new world.
Being the curious type, she wanted to know more.
She joined online groups, becoming more and more involved in the hedgehog world.
And she quickly discovered people were travelling long distances to get help for the animals.
The closure of the Wormit Hedgehog Centre in 2021 – following the retirement of Sandy Boyle, who had run it for 26 years – had left a big gap in provision locally.
So Alison did her homework, learned from others in the field and started taking in casualties herself at the start of this year.
Word quickly spread and soon people were bringing hedgehogs from across Perthshire and beyond.
Her activities stepped up a gear last month when she converted a disused dog kennel into a hedgehog hospital and rehabilitation area. It meant she could move some of the hogs and all their accoutrements – bedding, food, medication etc – out of the house.
“That’s made a big change,” says Alison.
“For tiny animals they need a lot of stuff.
“There aren’t hedgehogs in every room of the house now. We can actually eat in the dining room again.”
Gardens can be dangerous ground for hedgehogs
It’s been a busy summer. Alison is currently getting up every couple of hours through the night to care for the hoglets, who were found without their mothers and need hand-fed with a syringe.
Some ‘patients’ arrive dehydrated and starving. Hedgehogs are nocturnal so if you see a hedgehog out during the day, seek help immediately, she says: “Don’t wait until tomorrow because tomorrow will be too late.”
Others have been injured by strimmers or lawnmowers.
And Alison is currently doing everything she can to save an adult hedgehog, named Lizzie, who she suspects has been poisoned by pesticides or slug pellets.
There’s very little room left at the inn, but Alison never turns a hedgehog away.
She’s part of the Scottish Hedgehog Rescue Alliance, which has members from Ballumbie in Dundee to Dumbarton, who can always make space if if one of the others is full up.
Can you help Alison to make hedgehog happy endings?
Alison has had her fair share of hedgehog heartache in the last few months, but a lot of triumphs too.
Wherever possible, she likes to return healed hedgehogs to where they came from, although if the site’s next to a busy road she’ll find somewhere else nearby.
“It’s just the best feeling when you see them head off,” she says.
“That’s what makes it all worth it. It’s just magical.”
And for the blind and disabled hedgehogs who can’t be released back into the wild, she has created a secure garden at Inchture, where they can live out the rest of their lives in peace and safety.
Alison says she’s lucky to have had lots of help, from Parkside Vets and local supporters. A recent crowd-funder paid for new hedgehog pens. And donations are always welcome, in the form of cash for vet’s bills, or food and other supplies.
She’d love to hear from volunteer drivers, or people who can take collecting tins too. Just get in touch through the Facebook page.
“It never stops here, so if you want to help, I’ll find something for you to do,” she laughs.
