A CUBERT hedgehog charity has launched a fundraising campaign to generate its own energy.

Pickles and Paws has started a crowdfund for new solar panels and a battery at its purpose-built hedgehog hospital at Carnanton.

The hedgehog rescue and rehabilitation wants to generate and store its own renewable energy to reduce its carbon footprint and streamline running costs.

The target is £8,000, however thanks to match-funding pledge from Aviva Community Fund as part of its Climate Action Programme, supporters will only need to raise £4,000.

The project will allow Prickles and Paws to install a 4.5kW solar panel array onto the new hogspital building, plus a 10.4kWh battery to store energy.

The scheme will help the rescue to cut its carbon footprint by the equivalent of 975kg of carbon dioxide each year equivalent to around 3,500 miles of driving in an average car per annum and is expected to save them around £750 per annum at current electricity prices.

The solar panels and battery will be fitted whilst the new building is under construction, thereby keeping costs to a minimum. Prickles and Paws aims to relocate to the facility at the start of 2026.

Katy South, the director and co-founder of Prickles and Paws, said: “Biodiversity and sustainability go hand-in-hand with hedgehog welfare.

“Indeed much of our educational outreach work centres around this so it follows that our new purpose-built hedgehog hospital should follow the same principles, and be as efficient, green and resilient as possible.

“Solar panels will enable us to generate and store our own renewable energy, meaning we will have a clean, efficient and resilient energy source – which is better for hedgehog care and better for the planet. We are so grateful to Aviva for agreeing to match-fund this cause.

“This project will add to a number of green features already incorporated into the plans for the new site including rainwater harvesting, a wildlife garden, bat boxes and native hedge boundaries.

“The new hogspital will run entirely on electricity for all its heating, lighting, hot water and other energy needs, so this project will have a transformative, environmentally-positive impact.”

Prickles and Paws CEO John Lewis said: “Prickles and Paws Hedgehog Rescue is Cornwall’s largest native hedgehog rehabilitation charity – in 2024 we admitted a record 1,428 sick, injured or orphaned animals – and yet it may have one of the smallest premises, based as it currently is in a residential back garden.

“The new hedgehog hospital will enable our team to improve and expand their operations, providing superior care to hedgehogs and helping even more wildlife. Being able to power the rescue by sustainable means via solar panels will help us to not only reduce our carbon footprint but, crucially, streamline running costs ensuring that more of the donations the charity receives go towards hedgehog care.”

Prickles and Paws is a much-loved non-profit charity in Cubert, which has gained over 46,000 social media followers and attracted the support of patrons including model and TV celebrity Lucie Donlan and BBC Earth presenter Hannah Stitfall.

The charity not only provides care for hedgehogs but is also very active in the local community, bringing people together to volunteer, offering educational talks and work placement opportunities.

Since January 2022, the charity has been fundraising hard for a new hedgehog hospital or Hogspital to help it to cope with ever-rising numbers of injured hedgehogs and hoglets, as, with over 1,400 hedgehog admissions each year, it outgrew its current residential premises some time ago. The new hogspital will enable the rescue to help up to four times as many hedgehogs as at present.

To make a donation visit https://www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/p/powering-the-hogspital