The figures make it startlingly clear what a desperate situation hedgehogs are in: their numbers have fallen from almost 40 million to less than one million in the last 50 years. Fewer than one in four of us have seen a live hedgehog in the last year, and a generation of children are growing up having never seen one that hasn’t been run over by a car.

Hedgehogs are on the endangered list of British wildlife and if current trends continue, they will be extinct before the end of the decade.

But help is at hand.

Janette Jones examining a new arrival in the critical care area. Janette Jones examining a new arrival in the critical care area. (Image: Kirsty Thompson) Janette Jones has turned much of her home in Chorley into a hedgehog hospital and other rescue centres have opened across the county – and across the country – in recent years.

At the time of Lancashire Life’s visit to Chorley Hedgehog Rescue there were 60 patients, in boxes in the kitchen, living room and garage but that number will rise.

Donna Maskell has been involved at the centre for about seven years and said: 'The lounge is like ICU and the closer they are to Janette, the more poorly they are. If they’re on the table, they are very poorly and when they’re a bit better they move to the kitchen and then to the garage.

Arlo the hedgehog getting weighed to monitor his improvement Arlo the hedgehog getting weighed to monitor his improvement (Image: Kirsty Thompson) ‘Once they are ready, we have a couple of outdoor enclosures where they can start to be a bit more natural, digging and rustling about. A couple of the volunteers have something similar in their gardens, too.

‘At this time of year we see a lot of young hedgehogs born in a second litter who won’t have time to put on enough weight to survive the winter – they need to be about 600-800g and when we take them in smaller than that we need to look after them util we can release them when the weather is warmer.’

Donna got involved after seeing a post on Facebook asking for donations of food and newspaper. She bought some tins of cat food, realised she could do more and has since helped ramp up the charity’s marketing efforts and online presence.

Donna Maskell holding Margo. Donna Maskell holding Margo. (Image: Kirsty Thompson) ‘Janette started the centre because she kept coming across hedgehogs that were out during the day when she was walking her dogs,’ Donna added. ‘She looked around for a rescue centre but couldn’t find one. She wanted to help but she never thought it would take over like it has.

‘She started to take in all kinds of wildlife but hedgehogs were being brought to her most often so she did a course in hedgehog first aid and learned how to care for them and all the different things that can ail them.’

And it’s quite a list. They are prone to parasites, fleas and worms and commonly suffer from cardiovascular disease, gastric ulceration, dental problems and pneumonia, among many other conditions.

Lupin exploring outsideLupin exploring outside (Image: Kirsty Thompson) And then there’s all the ways humans can impact hedgehogs’ welfare. If we’re not destroying their nesting sites or making it harder for them to find food, we’re hitting them with cars or injuring them with garden tools.

‘Hedgehogs have been on earth longer than humans but their numbers have fallen dramatically in recent years and the one reason for that is human activity,’ said Janette.

‘If a hedgehog is out during the day, that’s usually a bad sign. It could mean they are ill and can’t regulate their body temperature, or they have parasites and need more food.

Feeding a newly-arrived critically ill hoglet. Feeding a newly-arrived critically ill hoglet. (Image: Kirsty Thompson) ‘A mother might come out in the day if she is feeding her young, but she will be moving quickly and with purpose. Often, poorly hedgehogs out in the day will seem disorientated or lethargic.

‘Anyone who sees a hedgehog like that should use thick gardening gloves or an old towel to pick them up and put them in a high sided box with some ripped up newspaper and a hot water bottle, if possible. If there is any blood or an obvious injury, it should go to a vet – it's free to take a hedgehog to the vet. If there’s no obvious injury, that’s where we come in.

‘Jeanette will look over it for fleas, tics, wounds and injuries and listen to its breathing and depending on what it has come in with it will be medicated and we’ll make sure it’s well before we release it – that can take anything from three or four weeks to six months.

One of the hoglets in critical care, in Janette's lounge. One of the hoglets in critical care, in Janette's lounge. (Image: Kirsty Thompson) ‘Babies who have been with us since they were very young and who don’t know the world outside need to learn how to be a hedgehog. We try to release them close to where they were found, but if that’s not possible, or not safe for them, we have a couple of brilliant release sites we use.

‘Once we release them they tend not to hang around – they toddle off to find shelter and food and to get on with being a hedgehog.’

* Chorley Hedgehog Rescue is one of a number of hedgehog hospitals across Lancashire and is entirely dependent on donations to meet its growing running costs. To donate or find out more, go to chorleyhedgehogrescue.co.uk

Hedgehogs like to feel cosy and snuggled. Hedgehogs like to feel cosy and snuggled. (Image: Kirsty Thompson)