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Irene Thomson and a team of volunteers are currently caring for around 40 animals at Lowton Hedgehog Rescue, helping them with issues such as dehydration, injuries and parasites before releasing them back into the wild.

But with food, veterinary care and other bills to pay, the cost of helping the spiky creatures soon adds up.

So Irene has decided to create Lowton Hedgehog Rescue’s first calendar in a bid to raise funds.

Irene Thomson, founder of Lowton Hedgehog Rescue, with the fund-raising calendar

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It features a hedgehog named Philippa, who was in a “terrible” state when she was first rescued in April 2021 and needed months of treatment for a fungal infection.

Philippa has been returned to the wild a couple of times, but the infection recurred so she went back to the rescue several times.

Her story has proved to be popular among those following the rescue’s Facebook page, leading Irene to believe she would be perfect as the calendar’s star.

Irene Thomson currently has around 40 hedgehogs

Irene, 60, said: “It’s the first time I have done a calendar for the rescue as a fund-raiser. I thought Philippa would sell well and it has proven to be quite popular already.

"There is text in it with her story and all the dates with what happened when. It goes with the photographs. There are 12 photographs in the calendar – one for each month – and they show her progress.”

The calendar is being sold for £5 (plus £1.65 for second class postage) and Irene had to have a second batch printed when the first sold out.

All of the money raised will be used to care for the hedgehogs, including paying for veterinary care and electricity to keep them warm.

Irene said: “It’s all for raising some funds. It’s only a small calendar and only features one particular animal, but I’m hoping that next year we will be able to do photographs of different patients, maybe with a little sentence or something describing the situation they were in, how they were rehabilitated and sent back to the wild.”

The calendar is available to buy via Lowton Hedgehog Rescue’s Facebook page or by emailing [email protected]

Lowton Hedgehog Rescue hopes the cash will roll in with launch of 2023 calendar