It’s just over a year since mum Kelly Smith launched the Medway Hedgehog Rescue centre at her home in Strood.

Since then, the animal lover has saved more than 100 of the creatures and is now bracing herself for the busiest time of the year.

Ms Smith, who works with her 16-year-old daughter Tayla, said: “Hedgehogs are just coming out of hibernation as the warmer weather arrives and it’s also the time of year people like to start cutting their grass back and that’s when we see hedgehogs come in with serious injuries which have been caused by strimmers.”

Only last week, one with such injuries was taken into the rescue centre, but sadly after being rushed to the nearby Stanhope Veterinary Centre, it had to be put to sleep.

Ms Smith, 38, added: “Its injuries were really bad. One of its legs was missing, another was hanging off and it had a large laceration across its middle.”

However, not every hedgehog comes into the centre in such bad condition. Some just need treatment for worms, fleas or tics and some just need a bit of TLC and fattening up.

Others are hoglets (babies), which have been orphaned somehow and need hand-rearing.

Ms Smith added: “They need to weigh about 600g before we can release them back in the wild and need to be 650g to hibernate in winter.

“We have one at the moment, Della, who came in about a month ago and was just 420g, she’s now 510g so is doing well.”

If a hedgehog is not able to be let back into the wild they are usually homed with animal lovers who have secure gardens and ample pens which will keep the animals safe from harm.

One such creature is Amy who is now a permanent resident at Kelly’s rescue centre.

Ms Smith said: “Amy is blind and so can’t be released into the wild, so she is a full-time resident here and is a bit spoilt by us.”

Ms Smith thinks the demise in hedgehog numbers is down to a number of factors including more traffic on roads, modern gardens being more closed up with large fence panels and is encouraging animal lovers to open up their gardens again so hedgehogs can visit them.

She added: “Opening up a fence panel and putting a bit of food out will encourage them back into gardens, they only need about a 4in or 5in gap to get through.”

n If you would like to help and can offer donations of food for the hedgehogs or other help to Ms Smith, call her on 07504 597454 or search Medway Hedgehog Rescue on Facebook.