|
Welcome to
Visitor Centre
and Hedgehog World Museum
|
OPENING HOURS
From Easter to the 30 September
Monday to Sunday 10am to 4pm
From 1 October to Easter
Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm
Free parking
Admission Charges
Adults £4.20
Children and Seniors £3.00
Family Ticket (2 adults + 2 children) £12.20
Members get in FREE
|
|
|
|
|
The Rockery Garden
|
|
For many years one of the sad things about our hospital, was having to turn away the many caring visitors who arrive daily on our doorstep. It will always be impossible to have humans wandering through our patient wards, as the sick and injured animals would be severely stressed by public viewing. However, all this has changed with the opening of our exciting Visitor Centre.
|
|
|
|
|
The Cottage Garden
|
|
Here visitors through the use of CCTV, interpretation boards, leaflets and videos, can learn about the history of the Hospital, the type of animals we treat and some of the innovative techniques we employ. Although most of our wards and patients are not on show, there is the chance to see some of our permanent disabled residents (mainly hedgehogs, but a few rabbits, deer, badgers and foxes) who roam in spacious gardens and wild areas. This sanctuary gives the animals who cannot be returned to the wild a chance to live out a near normal life, whilst it gives the visitors an opportunity to study them from a sensible distance. The animals live as natural a life as possible, so may not come out when you visit.
Each garden is designed to give a small group of hedgehogs the equivalent of their natural environment and the few foxes, badgers and deer that cannot be released have enormous areas where they can stay out of sight, if they wish, or can come out and study the visitors!
The Visitor Centre is designed principally to provide education and information on our special work, so there are no guarantees that the nocturnal animals will be out during opening hours. The centre is nothing like a zoo or theme park - there are no rides or petting corners - but it will be a wonderful place for a quiet stroll, with a host of information boards, closed circuit camera viewing areas showing the work of the Hospital, as well as safe and colourful gardens of all types. It is a chance to see what really goes on at the Hospital and even the original St. Tiggywinkles shed is on display.
Some of the things to See
Look through the glass into our bird and mammal nursery wards in the hospital.
Find out all about the hospital, our patients and their treatment on our education boards dotted around the gardens.
See some of the other hospital wards on our CCTV monitor.
Browse the wildlife photo gallery (which make unusual gifts too).
Wander round the World’s first Hedgehog Memorabilia Museum.
 Watch the foxes in their permanent enclosure.
See if you can catch a glimpse of one of our permanent badgers.
See the deer in the recovery paddocks.
Come and meet some of our permanent hedgehogs up close.
Facilities
- Our Coffee Shop sells hot and cold drinks and snacks, with an outside seating area.
- Toilets include disabled facilities and baby changing area.
- We have seating spread around the site for people wanting to sit and watch the various gardens or read the displays.
 There is a Gift Shop and all profits go towards helping the work of the Hospital.- The Visitor Centre staff are always willing to answer questions about the animals and will happily show you a hedgehog up close!
- Information boards are spread all around the Visitor Centre, providing an educational trail.
- We offer tours to groups (young and old). For more details contact us on 01844 292292.
- We have a Toddler Play Area.
- We also have a Picnic Area, where large groups can all sit together and relax or run about, and you can bring your own picnic lunch.
Wheelchair Accessible
The whole of the Visitor Centre is fully wheelchair accessible, including the museum, which can be reached by lift and there are disabled toilet facilities.
Dogs
We appreciate that some people would like to bring their dogs along, but the wild animals we have here would be scared of any dog they saw or smelt, so for that reason we say ‘no dogs please’. The only exceptions to this rule are fully-vaccinated and registered guide dogs for the blind and hearing dogs for the deaf.
For other dog owners there is a lovely and very long farm walk right next door to our Visitor Centre, where your dog may be exercised on a lead, and we do have a dog water bowl outside our front doors should they need a drink.
Find Us
Click here for directions and a map.
|
