Volunteering with Prickles & Paws

NEXT INTAKE SEPTEMBER

Where: Prickles & Paws Hedgehog Rescue, Chy an Sort, Carnanton, Newquay, TR8 4EA

When: Shifts are flexible and selected through our online rota.
Choose the dates that work for you — no fixed schedule. Shifts run from 9am and can last until 1pm during our busiest periods.

Commitment: We ask volunteers to complete a minimum of at least two shift per month.
In your first few weeks, doing two shifts close together really helps build confidence and routine, but it isn’t required.

About the Role: As a volunteer, you’ll play a direct role in helping hedgehogs recover and prepare for release into the wild.
You don’t need previous experience — just enthusiasm, reliability, and a willingness to learn.

Your journey begins with a 1:1 trial shift and full support from our experienced team. You’ll start with outdoor hutch care and, once confident, you may progress to indoor care with unwell or orphaned hedgehogs.

What You’ll Do:

• Clean and prepare outdoor hedgehog hutches

• Provide fresh food and water

• Handle and health‑check hedgehogs (full training included)

• Wash and restock bowls, bedding, and equipment

• Keep work areas clean and tidy at the end of each shift

Why It Matters: Every shift supports a hedgehog’s journey from rescue to release. By helping maintain a clean, safe, and stable environment, you’re making a meaningful difference to wildlife welfare and helping our small team care for more animals in need.

Benefits to You:

• Supportive, hands-on training

• Build skills and confidence handling wildlife

• Enjoy active, outdoor work in a peaceful environment

• Gain experience useful for careers in animal care and conservation

• Tea, coffee, biscuits — and a very grateful team!

Where: offsite (from home or your local area) Occasional visits to Prickles & Paws Hedgehog Rescue,
Chy An Sort, Carnanton, Newquay, Cornwall, TR8 4EA for collecting newspapers and dropping off prepared bedding.

When:

• Collection/drop‑off at the rescue: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm

• All other tasks can be done whenever suits you — fully flexible and home‑based.

Commitment: Completely flexible — any time you can give makes a difference. There is no minimum requirement.

About the Role: Join our Hog Squad and help support hedgehogs when they need it most. When our rescue is at capacity, having bedding materials ready to use is essential for both the team and the hedgehogs. This role is perfect for anyone who wants to make a real impact from home with simple, practical tasks.

You’ll collect newspapers, prepare bedding following our guidelines, and return it to the rescue once completed. Full guidance is provided.

What You’ll Do:

• Collect newspapers from the rescue or source them locally

• Prepare newspaper bedding for hedgehog hutches

  • Fold sheets into “fours” to line the bottom of hutches

  • Hand‑shred newspapers into long strips for warm, safe nesting
    (Machine‑shredded paper isn’t suitable — it’s dusty and difficult for hedgehogs to weave)

• Deliver the finished bedding back to the rescue when ready

Why It Matters: We admit up to 1,400 hedgehogs every year, and preparing enough bedding is extremely time‑consuming. Every stack of folded paper or bundle of hand‑shredded strips you create:

• Saves the onsite team hours of work

• Helps support large numbers of hedgehogs during busy seasons

• Provides clean, suitable nesting materials — especially vital for hedgehogs with respiratory issues

• Directly improves the comfort, welfare, and recovery of hundreds of hedgehogs

Your effort allows our team to spend more time on essential animal care, such as feeding, cleaning, and medical treatment.

Benefits to You:

• Fully flexible volunteering you can do from home

• A calming, hands‑on task — many volunteers find the process relaxing and therapeutic

• A simple way to make a huge impact on hedgehog welfare

• Become part of our lovely volunteer community, even if you prefer low‑contact roles

Where: This is a community‑based role supporting Prickles & Paws Hedgehog Rescue,
Chy An Sort, Carnanton, Newquay, Cornwall, TR8 4EA.
Activities take place within your local area, wherever you feel comfortable approaching shops, businesses, and community groups.

When: This role is fully flexible and can be done at times that suit you.
There are no set hours — you choose how much you take on and when you complete tasks.

Commitment: There is no minimum monthly requirement. You can support us as frequently as you wish, whether that’s managing a couple of donation points or helping at occasional community events. Every bit helps.

About the Role: Many supporters want to help — donating newspapers, tinned food, or spare change — but cannot always reach the rescue. As a Community Ambassador, you’ll help bridge that gap by building connections with local shops, businesses, and community groups. You’ll represent Prickles & Paws in your local area, helping raise awareness, increase donations, and strengthen community support.

This is a great role for friendly, proactive people who enjoy chatting to others and making a visible difference.

What You’ll Do:

• Source local shops and businesses willing to host charity pots

• Manage a list of charity pots, collecting them when full and bringing the funds to the rescue

• Approach businesses about hosting newspaper and tinned food donation points

• Manage donation drop‑off points, collecting items and delivering them to the rescue

• Share Prickles & Paws social media posts into local community groups to help spread awareness

• Look out for local events and pass them on to our events coordinator

• Represent the charity at events, helping raise awareness and engage with the public

You can choose how much or how little you want to take on — everything helps our hedgehogs.

What You Need:

• Confidence to approach local businesses

• Good communication skills

• A friendly, positive attitude

• Ability to transport donations or charity pots back to the rescue

• Willingness to represent Prickles & Paws in the community

No previous experience is required — full guidance and materials will be provided.

Why It Matters:

Community support is essential to our rescue. By helping us build local connections, you are ensuring that more newspapers, food donations, and funds reach us — all of which directly support the care of sick, injured, and orphaned hedgehogs.
Your involvement helps grow awareness and creates long‑lasting support across Cornwall and South Devon.

Benefits to You:

• Exceptionally flexible role — help in your own community and in your own time

• Make a visible, meaningful impact for wildlife

• Meet new people and build community connections

• Be part of a supportive, friendly volunteer team

• Gain experience in outreach, communication, and community engagement

• Feel great knowing you’re helping hedgehogs in a practical and powerful way

Where: Hedgehog collections and transports take place across Cornwall and parts of South Devon (including Plymouth).
All hedgehogs are brought to:
Prickles & Paws Hedgehog Rescue
Chy An Sort, Carnanton, Newquay, Cornwall, TR8 4EA. Where long journeys are required we often set up relays.

When: There are no set hours and no minimum commitment.
Transport requests are posted in our Volunteer Driver WhatsApp group, and drivers simply respond when they’re available.
For longer journeys, we organise relay teams to share the distance.

Commitment: This is one of our most flexible volunteer roles.
✅ No rota
✅ No required number of shifts
✅ Help only when you can
Every journey — big or small — makes a meaningful impact.

About the Role: As a Volunteer Driver, you’ll help get sick, injured, and orphaned hedgehogs to the care they urgently need. You’ll collect hedgehogs from members of the public or veterinary practices and transport them safely to our rescue centre.
Full support and guidance are provided, and you’ll be added to our WhatsApp group for easy communication.

What You’ll Do:

• Collect hedgehogs from the public or vets

• Transport them safely to our rescue centre

• Work with other drivers for relay journeys when needed

• Communicate via our driver WhatsApp group

Most collections are straightforward, and you’ll always have support from the team should you need advice.

What You Need:

• Your own vehicle

• Confirmation from your car insurer that you’re covered for volunteer driving

• A willingness to help hedgehogs reach safety

Please note: mileage expenses cannot be reimbursed, but you are fully covered under our public liability insurance while volunteering.

Why It Matters: For many hedgehogs, your journey is the difference between life and death.
Transporting hedgehogs quickly and safely allows our team to begin treatment sooner — especially for those who are critically unwell, injured, or very young.

Benefits to You:

• Incredibly flexible volunteering — help when it suits you

• Make a direct, lifesaving impact

• Be part of a supportive, friendly driver network

• Help wildlife without needing to commit to fixed shifts

• Feel-good moments… one journey at a time