Woodlands Animal Sanctuary – Back to school

Woodlands – Back to school

September is quite a significant month for most people, whether it’s because you are starting a new year at nursery, school or uni, you’re a proud, nervous parent waving your child off on their new adventure or whether simply your commute to work will now be longer because the schools have gone back.  September is the start of new beginnings and the same can be said for the team. Whether you go by the meteorological or astronomical date September marks the start of autumn which is when mother nature starts to wrap the growth and regeneration of spring and summer before hibernation and the fight for survival in the winter begins.

Not only does the work level increase as the animals often spend less time outside due to the change in weather, but as soon as there is a chance of frost, they are no longer able to release any of the hedgehogs that have been carefully nursed back to full health.  This means that all of the hogs that are in the care of Woodlands Animal Sanctuary will stay at the charity until the temperatures rise next spring.  We also can’t forget that they continue to take hogs in over the autumn and winter and all of those hogs will also have to be housed and cared for by the hardworking team of staff and volunteers for the next 4 to 6 months until next spring. Each new hog admit can cost the sanctuary up to £150 in care costs and medication. During the winter of 2015 Woodlands Animal Sanctuary over wintered 150 hedgehogs, all of which were checked and monitored daily to ensure they maintained their health.

The team at Woodlands Animal Sanctuary believe education is vital for animal welfare and the future of our country’s wildlife.  Therefore, they offer a comprehensive education programme aimed at giving our younger generation the opportunity to experience animals in a fun and safe hands-on environment.  This can be an effective form of educational enrichment – allowing children and young people to empathise with different species so they are able to open their minds to how their decisions can affect others and the environment around them.

The education programme that Woodlands offer gives schools and youth organisations the opportunity to either visit the sanctuary itself to experience first-hand the work that is carried out onsite at the charity, or a small dedicated team from the sanctuary can come to your school or organisation with either 1, 2 or 3 different species of animals for your group to learn about in an interactive way.  This can be very beneficial to children and young people as well as helping to enrich work you may already be doing with them on certain subjects.

To find out more about what Woodlands Animal Sanctuary can offer your children or the young people you work with visit their website: www.woodlandsanimalsanctuary.org.uk/education