‘I’m just a sucker for wildlife,’ says the founder of Weedon Wildlife rescue

A fundraising page has been set up the founder of the Weedon Wildlife organisation after her home address has become a haven for injured animals.

Weedon Wildlife was born after Lindsey Websdale found herself overwhelmed by the calls she had been getting about the wildlife in trouble in and around the Weedon area.

Lindsey said: “It started off as the odd tag on Facebook, just because I have a bit of a reputation for caring for animals. I would be asked to go and see an injured animal that had been reported to see if I could help it.

“I am a sucker for wildlife and have always had a good general knowledge about what to do with an injured animal. A lot of what I have learned has been self-taught, but I am now lucky to have some great mentors at other organisations who help me with any tricky cases and I have also been on courses to learn.”

Lindsey has quickly built a network of support from organisations such as Weedon Vets, Deanshanger Hedgehog Rescue, Medivet Daventry and Animals in Need Wellingborough and calls on them for advice for more complex cases.

“I created the Facebook page for Weedon Wildlife in July and I am amazed how many calls I get,” she added. “I have pigeons here with broken wings, hoglets and hedgehogs that all need care currently and this is really quite challenging. It seems the hedgehog season has been really late this year and a number of rescued babies are with me because they aren’t heavy enough to hibernate.

“I have a few pigeons too, and one particular special one who I have called ‘Wonky’ due to his deformed wing. Baby pigeons who have fallen out of nests and abandoned are hard work as they need to be crop fed regularly, where I have to use a syringe to feed them directly, providing a mashed up meal like their parents would give them.”

Lindsey added: “The main objective I have is to release the rescued animals back to their habitat when they have recovered. I don’t have the space here to become a sanctuary and it’s important they are returned to the wild.”

Lindsey has a full time job alongside her wildlife rescue and works for Voice for Victims and Witnesses of Crime as a support worker. She also has a 10-year-old and eight-year-old to look after and is a regular crafter and fundraiser. She also has her own pets to look after, with rats, cats, budgies, rabbits and fish living with her animal-crazy family.

Lindsey can be found at local craft fayres with some of her work, which she sells to help fund her rescue work. She has some special Christmas projects this year and is planning on producing some seasonal hedgehog decorations that she is hoping to add to her tables. She also takes orders for her own sunflower seeds, grown from the beautifully lined up sunflowers she grows each year outside the front of her house. She also uses the seeds for feed for her rescued animals to save money.

She continued: “Life can be hectic but I love to help any small wildlife. I get calls for birds, rabbits, mice, hedgehogs and even had my first swan last week. It was a young bird that had landed in a garden and couldn’t take flight again so I went to rescue it.

“Again, having such good links with other organisations helps and I was able to get the advice on how I needed to handle it safely.”

She added: “It’s the vets bills, caging, bedding, and general running costs of what I do that I need help with. I am quite lucky that I do get donations for bedding, newspaper, food and cages, but I use my own money to pay for vets bills and the specialist cages to keep the hedgehogs in.

“Ideally I would like to create a separate shed area for a hedgehog hospital where I can keep them together.”

There have been a number of donations made from generous businesses in the area which Lindsey would like to thank.

She said: “I have been overwhelmed by the support I have been given. With the donations and fundraising I have been able to purchase a microscope, which is essential to check the health of the hedgehogs that come in. I have also been able to buy a number of heat mats which will be essential over the winter. A hedgehog intensive care unit has also been donated, which I have been delighted with.”

Bec Aggregates Weedon, A&M Washing Machine Services, West Northants Norse, Tema Isen Mann in Woodford Halse and Cummins in Daventry have all donated money or services to help pay for bills or help the work Lindsey does. Rollasons Solicitors and Sarah Canavan have also become sponsors for the organisation.

If you would like to donate, you can visit the JustGiving page here. Or you can drop items at the Weedon Wildlife address, which is 31 Oak Street, Weedon, NN7 4RQ. Lindsey is requesting: cat/kitten food, newspaper, bird feed, towels, fleeces, bird cages and hamster cages.

Outside storage containers would be particularly useful where bedding and food could be stored. A small shed would also be welcomed if there was anyone needing to remove one from their garden.