At a time when many volunteer hedgehog rescues and rehabilitation services are struggling to stay afloat, a brand-new hedgehog hospital in Monmouth has just opened its doors to support the local hedgehog population and help it survive and thrive.

The Prickly Patch is a volunteer run centre close to Monmouth providing a dedicated base for care, recovery and release for wild hedgehogs which remain on the red list as a species at risk of extinction.

The project has been driven by Dylan Allman, who first discovered hedgehogs in the family garden at the age of 13. Over the last six years, he has become one of the most recognised hedgehog champions in the UK, known for his ‘Be Hedgehog Aware’ campaign, and in January 2024 setting up the Hedgehog First Response Unit (FRU) in the Monmouth area.

The First Response Unit volunteers take all calls and transport poorly hedgehogs to the team at The Prickly Patch or the most appropriate rehab centre - always focused on minimising travel and stress to the hedgehog, so the first port of call for anyone who is concerned about a hedgehog is always the FRU on 01600 605125.

Since launch, FRU trained volunteers have taken more than 260 calls and carried out more than 220 rescues. The Prickly Patch rehabilitation centre follows on from this and has been made possible thanks to the same vision held by Emily, Joe and Hattie Ryder on whose land the centre is based. The centre ensures hedgehogs from across Monmouth and the Wye Valley receive timely, specialist support rather than enduring considerable travel time to other rescues out of area which can affect their chances of recovery.

The project has been supported by the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) in the Wye Valley National Landscape, and commercial sponsorship from Stark Building Materials UK Ltd. It has been a labour of love from the building of the centre through to kitting out and taking its first in-patient on 4th April 2026.

Dylan Allman, Founder of the First Response Unit and Lead Trustee for The Prickly Patch said: “After discovering hedgehogs in my garden and learning about their decline, I was determined to help make a difference. Setting up the Monmouth First Response Unit showed me how many hedgehogs there were in the area, and how important it was to act quickly when they needed help. I was travelling a long way to other centres and realised there was a huge gap here for a specialist hedgehog hospital.

“The Prickly Patch means we can give local hedgehogs the best chance to recover and be released safely back into the wild. Opening during Hedgehog Awareness Week makes this even more meaningful, because it’s exactly the moment when we want people to notice hedgehogs, care about them, and take action. I am so grateful to our funders and volunteers for making this project a reality, and am excited to see the impact we make through improving the outcomes and awareness of hedgehogs and wider biodiversity.”