Staff and volunteers at an RSPCA wildlife centre are planning two Christmas events this month to help raise money to care for animals.
RSPCA Stapeley Grange in Nantwich will host a Christmas fair on Sunday 7th December (12-5pm) plus festive storytime on Monday 8th and Tuesday 9th December (4-7pm).
Bosses say the festive fundraisers will help them continue to look after poorly, injured and abandoned creatures.
The Nantwich base, which includes a wildlife centre and cattery, will be holding a fair with games, crafts and refreshments plus a raffle, tombola and a chance to Meet Santa and Mrs Claus in the grotto.
The Christmas market will see 24 different stalls providing an opportunity to fill up Christmas stockings in plenty of time for the big day.
There also will be a chance to visit the cattery and – depending on avian flu restrictions – the possibility of a behind the scenes wildlife tour.
Storytime with Mrs Claus will be in the grotto, and visitors will be invited to follow a trail to find the elves that have hidden themselves around the site.
There will also be a chance to write a Christmas list to hand to Santa himself.
Tickets, and more information, are available on the charity’s ticket page.
RSPCA Stapeley Grange
Stapeley Grange is currently home to a range of animals, including a hedgehog who was recently rushed in after he got tangled in some garden football netting.
The material had tightly wrapped around his legs and body, and was cutting into the skin and causing painful swelling.
“Our team carefully removed the netting and under anaesthetic, assessed and treated the wounds,” said centre manager Lee Stewart.
“Thanks to fast action from a kind member of the public, this hog is now recovering well.”
Last year, more than 10,000 wild animals were admitted to the RSPCA’s wildlife centres across the UK, which was up by more than a third on figures from 2023.
Out of the animals commonly found in gardens, hedgehogs were by far the most frequently admitted, with 2,275 looked after by the charity in 2024.
Wood pigeons were the next most-likely to be admitted – with 1,113 brought into RSPCA centres last year.
The charity advises that if a small animal – such as a hedgehog or a bird – is found caught in netting but is uninjured, the fastest way to help is to gently and carefully disentangle the animal if it’s safe and possible to do so.
The animal will then need checking over by a vet, as they may have hidden injuries.
RSPCA bosses added that they were expecting incidents of animal abandonment to reach a six-year high this year, and have launched The Big Give Back to Animals campaign to raise funds for their frontline teams.
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