A PRICKLY little visitor to a Teesside care home needed urgent help when she was unexpectedly spotted in the garden in the middle of the day.
A young hedgehog, later named Beech, was first seen walking slowly across the lawn at The Beeches Care Home, on Green Lane, Stockton-on-Tees, at lunchtime – a telltale sign something was wrong.
Staff member and hedgehog enthusiast Nicola Bowes immediately realised the nocturnal animal should have been resting and knew it was in distress.
She acted quickly, carefully placing her in a box with a soft towel and reaching out to Carole Weightman of The Stockton Hedgehog Shed, who had assisted with a hedgehog rescue earlier in the year.
Nicola, the activities coordinator at The Beeches, said: “Carole came to collect the little hedgehog and took her in for some much-needed care. We kept in touch and I found out that our hedgehog was very poorly.
“A few days later, I found out it was a little girl and Carole had called her Beech, after the care home. She also told us she had visited the vet because she had a wound behind her ear, but she had no broken bones and recommended continuing with medication.”
Under Carole’s watch, Beech was given plenty of food to help her grow strong enough to return to the wild. Three weeks after her rescue, she had gone from a tiny 227 grams to a robust 625 grams—ready to be released back into The Beeches’ garden.
Carole asked that staff support Beech’s return to her natural environment by leaving out dry kitten food and water each evening. Nicola, along with help from the care home’s handyman, John George, created a feeding station with a camera to capture Beech’s visits.
Nicola said: “Our residents love watching the videos of Beech and are happy she’s made our garden her home. When visitors come, they often ask about her and say they’ve seen her latest video on our Facebook page. Even the local nursery children love the updates—they come every week and watch the footage with us.”
Beech’s presence has brought back fond memories for the residents.
Ian Naisbitt, 74, shared a funny childhood story. He said: “When I was younger, I saw a hedgehog on my way home and thought my Mam would like it, so I put it in my pocket. She went mad when she found us both covered in fleas.”
Pat Britten, 87, another resident, said: “I have hedgehogs in my garden at home. We’ve got a little house for them there, and I hope they’re doing alright without me.” And resident Dolly Bell, 92, recalled: “I used to have two hedgehogs visit quite regularly—they’d always come together.”
Meanwhile, Beech’s feeding station has already had one other visitor—a neighbour’s cat, who was spotted on camera pinching her food. A few bricks have now been added around the box to make sure Beech can get in, but the cat would struggle.
Nicola added: “We’re all very fond of Beech and hope her story will inspire others to keep an eye out for wildlife that might need a bit of help, especially hedgehogs. They’re declining in the wild, so every small effort—providing food, water, or a safe garden space—makes a big difference.”
Chris Firth of the Cleveland Hedgehog Preservation Society has offered to visit The Beeches to give a talk to residents about hedgehogs and their conservation.
The Stockton Hedgehog Shed has now closed. For more information about hedgehog rescues and advice contact Cleveland Hedgehog Preservation Society, who can put you in touch with a local rescuer.