Cath Heaney from Meltham Wildlife Trust presented a very informative and amusing talk about her work with the Trust.
The trust has been in existence for approximately 20 years, starting when her daughter came home from school with an injured bird. Cath nurtured the bird back to good health, and she was thereafter known as “The Mad Bird Lady of Meltham”.
The Trust operates from her home at the back of BentHouse, and is the only centre for 50 miles radius catering for all forms of wildlife, rather than specialist species. Their aim is to rehabilitate and release creatures back into the wild, which is a 24/7 operation made viable by an army of volunteers. The buildings with the garden have been expanded to provide
hospital facilities for those creatures deemed able to be released eventually without further specialist treatment, but there are occasions when the help of the 3 Owls Charity in Knoxwood is required.
She talked at length of the protection and help required to save our hedgehog population, which has declined 50% over a number of years; this involves talking to children at schools and by promotion on radio and TV programmes.
The dedication and devotion from herself and over 40 volunteers was clearly evident, and she ended by showing us a living hedgehog, whilst at the same time telling us of the medicines, time and effort need to improve the weight of one animal up to the required 650/750gms to enable it to survive hibernation.
She also encouraged all of us to check our gardens and lawns for a few minutes before mowing or strimming.