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ISSUE 295
27 pages of
39 ways to save
Live
for less!
Easy one-pan meals
Delicious new
fuss-free dinners
well
How to be £9,000
richer this year!
expert advice
n Plant a garden to
attract wildlife
n Soothing natural
beauty buys
n Spot the signs
of a stroke
Kathleen
Turner
‘My singing
debut at the
age of 63’
Royal
family
Getting
ready for the
new arrival
wet
weather
fashion
style
apr 10- 23,
2018 £1.55
+ James Martin’s pecan tart recipe

Inside
this fortnight...
cover pic: Samir Hussein/Getty Images
Real life
9 Animal Magic
12 ‘I’m carrying out Anthony’s
mission’
16 A Minister for Loneliness
19 The Keep Me Posted campaign
20 Why not try… scuba diving?
22 An emporium of nostalgia
24 ‘Crafting helped me recover’
26 Helping hedgehogs survive
28 The healing power of gardening
Star chat
10 Cover Royal baby No. 3!
14 Cover Kathleen Turner
31 Kid Jensen: ‘We are strong
together’
146 Alesha Dixon
Your best life now!
36 Cover Garden-inspired beauty
38 Cover Fashion: rainy-day buys
40 Cover Be stronger in 15 minutes
44 Cover Spot signs of a stroke
46 Snack happy!
Good to know
66 Cover Live well for less
68 Yours Retirement Services
75 Your questions, our solutions!
76 The rise of the Instagran…
79 Watching the pennies
Nostalgia
56 A tin bath by the fire…
59 Brownies and Crackerjack!
Leisure time
89 Cover Easy one-pan meals
93 Ways with chocolate…
97 Cover James Martin’s recipe
98 Simple sewing projects
103 Knit and embroider a purse
104 Part 2: wildlife in the garden
109 48 hours in Ludlow
110 Take a trip to Amsterdam
113 Visit the Cuckoo Fair
114 Yours Travel Club
Your favourites
49 Meeting Place
60 Roy Hudd
85 Friends of Yours
118 Carers in touch
127 Cover Puzzles
& prizes to win
130 Cover Free lilac scarf
137 Short story: Pleasing Pamela…
145 Horoscopes
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130
46
Strengthbuilding
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44
Be stroke
savvy and
save lives
How would you like to be £9,000 richer this time next
year? In our five-page Live Well for Less special we’ve
collected together all sorts of tips and tricks to help you
save money on everything from haircuts to household
bills. Individually they’re small tweaks but together the
savings really add up. Turn to page 66 now.
Another feature focused on small changes that
make a big difference is our 15 Minutes to Better
Health series. In the latest instalment (p40) discover
how doing two-minute tone-ups every time you make
a cuppa will leave you feeling stronger and healthier
in no time. We also meet someone who is passionate
about protecting hedgehogs (p26) and volunteers at
a garden project supporting people with disabilities
(p28). Kid Jensen opens up about
his Parkinson’s diagnosis (p31) and
Hollywood’s Kathleen Turner (p14)
tells us why she’s making her singing
debut aged 63.
See you next
issue
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good to know
Simple advice on money + home + family + shopping + trends
Why it’s good to
Did you know that
picking up your knitting
needles could improve
both your physical and
mental health?
Here’s how…
It’ll improve
your mood
Mastering the techniques, completing
a project and making something
completely from scratch provides a
real sense of achievement. It’s also
proven to be an excellent calming
technique and you may find that just
half an hour of knitting a day can help
reduce stress and anxiety.
It boosts brain power
Adding up stitches and rows and figuring out new patterns can stimulate
many different areas of the brain – including memory function, attention
span, creativity and problem-solving. This will keep your mind super sharp
and help protect your brain against the effects of ageing.
It can help to ease pain
The repetitive movements required to carry out a knitting pattern release
a calming chemical called serotonin – which can lift your mood and
dull pain. Knitting itself also requires a good level of concentration
so you’re likely to be distracted by what you’re doing and may not
notice any mild feelings of discomfort or pain.
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
65
PICS: shutterstock

est buys
❤
fashion editor
lo v e s
Move
it!
Be inspired
to get your
2018 keep-fit
resolutions
back on
track with
this gorgeous
sportswear.
Fringe
fever
£19.50,
6-22
£20, 32-36
A-G cup
£25,
6-22
All M&S Collection
Most importantly wear a sports
bra! Designed to give you extra
support, they also help prevent
rubbing, keep you comfortable
and could reduce your chances
of developing back pain.
TREND ALERT!
PHOTOGRAPHY RUTH JENKINSON; STYLIST DANIELLE ELMES-HUGHES; HAIR AND MAKE-UP CARL STANLEY. Pic: shutterstock
Selina wears: Yellow anorak,
£39.99, 6-18, New Look | shirt (just
seen), £20, 8-22, M&Co | trousers,
£60, 8-20, Laura Ashley | casual
shoes, £45, 3-9, Hotter | scarf, £39,
Phase Eight | umbrella, £7.50, Tesco
£20 from every
sale donated to
Kerry wears:
Spotty mac, £40,
10-24, Bonmarché
| top, £29.95, 6-20,
Joules | trousers, £25,
6-18, Jane Norman
| wellies, £15, 3-8, George
at Asda | umbrella, £26,
Cath Kidston
Selina wears: Red coat, £85,
6-16, Cath Kidston | top, £14,
8-20, Peacocks | jeans, £16, 8-22,
F&F at Tesco | wellies, £38, 3-8,
Cath Kidston | bag, £50, Cath
Kidston | umbrella, £6, Tesco
Kerry wears: Blue trench coat, £45,
6-24, M&S Collection | jumper (just
seen), £29.50, 6-18, Limited Edition at
M&S | jeans, £59, 8-22, Monsoon
| flat shoes, £22, 3-9, Next | umbrella,
£15, M&S; bag, £25, M&S
TREND ALERT!
Right as Rain
38 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 39
Buy
them
quick!
Selina wears: Green jacket, £52,
6-22, Next | jumper, £64.95, 6-20,
Joules | jeans, £16, 8-22 F&F at
Tesco | wellies, £15, 3-8, George at
Asda | scarf, £39, Phase Eight
| umbrella, £6, Tesco
Make a splash and brave the downpours in these wet weather essentials, says Fashion Editor, Michelle Nightingale
Stockists: Bonmarché 0330 026 2728; Cath Kidston 0333 320 2663; George at Asda 0800 952 0101; Hotter 0800 083 8490; Jane Norman 0292 027 0000; Joe Browns 0113 270 6655; Joules 0345 250 7160; Laura Ashley 0333 200 8009; M&Co 0333 202 0720; M&S 0333 014 8555;
Monsoon 0203 372 3052; New Look 0344 499 6690; Next 0333 777 8000; Peacocks 0292 010 1560; Phase Eight 0208 877 4001; Tesco 0800 323 4050; White Stuff 0203 752 5360 Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee availability and prices of items featured on this page
£34.95,
Joe Browns
Wear
your
support
£14, George
at Asda
This year, Fashion
Targets Breast
£15, 8-22
Cancer has
teamed up with
M&S, among other
names, to encourage
customers to show
their support to the
campaign. You can make a
difference today!
n Launching April 12
£22.50,
White
Stuff
£10,
White Stuff
30% from
every sale
donated to

ISBN: 978-1-912 32-14-4
DAN0376
Yours takes a peek behind the
nursery door to see how the Duke
and Duchess of Cambridge will
adapt to the arrival of baby No. 3!
Prince George showed he could be a good big brother when he
welcomed Princess Charlotte, but now she’s the one in charge!
Secrets
from the
Royal
nursery
Outnumbered!
This is the fate
of the Duke
and Duchess
of Cambridge
when their one-of-each
family increases with baby
number three.
Like the long-suffering
parents from the popular
sitcom Outnumbered, will
William and Kate find their
brood of three running rings
around them – and indeed,
ruling the Royal roost?
Unlikely. After all – the Royal
parents have back-up in the
form of Spanish nanny
Maria Turin Borrallo, who
is more than capable of
addressing the balance.
As one of three herself,
it’s thought that Kate
always wanted a third
child – unlike William who,
according to an insider,
needed persuading!
“William was more
reluctant, not just because
he was one of two, but
because George was quite
a difficult baby. Then they
had Charlotte and she was
a lot easier. Now the idea
of a newborn doesn’t seem
half as challenging. They’ve
done it twice before and
have all their staff in place.”
True, but there’s no
doubt that the arrival of a
third child alters the family
dynamic. Prince George
will simply become eldest
brother to two siblings,
but Princess Charlotte
will no longer be the baby!
However, signs are that the
little girl will take it all in her
stride. The young Princess,
described as “a little joy
of heaven” by her father,
has grown into a confident
little girl who her mother
has been quoted as saying
is, “the one in charge”. This
was echoed by Charlotte’s
great-grandmother. When
presenting a children’s prize
at Sandringham last year,
Her Majesty asked a ten-yearold
girl whether she ‘looked
after’ her little sister. When
the child’s mother replied
that it was the other way
around, the Queen remarked,
“It's like that with Charlotte
and George.”
With this is mind,
it’s likely that big
sister Charlotte will
be very protective
towards her new
sibling. It’s believed
she’s been practising
her big sister skills
on her dolls since
finding out about the
new baby – which,
incidentally, was told
to them on an evening last
autumn as the children were
being treated to cupcakes
after dinner. They were,
according to an insider,
‘The nursery is
filled with hand-medowns,
including
George and
Charlotte's old toys’
‘Very excited’.
And Kate is determined
that neither child’s nose is
put out of joint with regards
to the new arrival. “Kate
wants them to participate
in making the baby feel
welcome, so she's allowing
them each to choose a
special stuffed animal to
place in the baby’s nursery,”
adds a source close to
Kensington Palace. “And
thrifty Kate hasn’t splurged
on many new furnishings
and the nursery is filled
with hand-me-downs,
including George and
Charlotte's old toys.”
Top: Kate with her little ones. Above, nanny Maria
chats to the Queen and below, Nanny in charge!
On a practical level,
George and Charlotte are
now busy with school and
nursery which will carry on
the same as usual. “George
is very happy at school and
Charlotte has settled in well,
too,” reveals a Royal insider.
“It won't be easy for
William and Kate with three
children vying for their
attention, but they are a very
solid and happy couple, so
they'll make it work!
“It is unlikely
that William and
The British Royal Family the world’s most famous and
fascinating monarchy – is enjoying a renaissance as the
Duchess of Cambridge gives birth to her third child.
While the birth of every baby is undoubtedly magical, when that
baby is ‘heir’, or ind ed ‘spare’, to the British throne, ‘tis a whole
othe realm of magic - and mystery - altogether. Combining stunning
images and fascinating facts, ‘Royal Babies – A Heir Raising
History’, reveals the real-life stories of hope and fear, joy and pain,
drama and conflict, and humour and hubris involved in business of
bege ting, bearing, birthing and bringing up babies of the blood Royal.
Royal BaBIES A Heir-Raising History
Royal
BaBIES
A Heir-Raising History
Kate, who are
noticeably handson,
will hire a second nanny
– with the children in school
during the day, they feel
they will be able to cope.”
It is likely, however, that
their mother will employ a
maternity nurse, as she did
after the birth of Princess
Charlotte, to see the
newborn and the third-time
mum through the first few
difficult months. After the
birth of Prince George
in July 2013, Kate
was determined to
do everything herself
but Goerge proved
to be a poor sleeper,
leaving his brand-new,
inexperienced mum
exhausted. Hopefully
baby number three
will be more like
Charlotte who is
reported to have been
a good sleeper from the
off.
As many third-time
mothers will attest, there
isn’t a huge difference
going from two to
three children. Kate
is already a hands-on
Royal mum – even more
so than William’s own
mum Diana. Although
an adoring mother who
“hugged her children
to death”, Diana was the
product of an aristoctatic
home, so it was staff who
were largely responsible for
William and Harry’s day-today
care.
Kate is clearly taking a
leaf out of her own middleclass
mother’s mothering
manual and it was to Carole
that Kate turned after the
birth of Prince George,
wanting, as many first-time
mums do, to be with her
baby makes five!
own mother while learning
the ropes.
“My parents taught me
about the importance of
qualities like kindness,
respect, and honesty, and I
realise how central values
like these have been to me
throughout my life,” Kate
said late last year. “That is
why William and I want to
teach our children just how
important these things are
as they grow up. In my view,
it is just as important as
excelling at maths or sport.”
Kate and William are
also adamant that their
privileged children do not
become ‘spoilt brats’.
“They have set rules
for the children and use
‘time-out’ techniques if
they ever fight or throw
food. And they don't allow
them to stay up late,” reveals
our Kensington Palace
insider. “Good behaviour is
rewarded with plenty of fun,
though, which the new baby
will soon be joining in on.
“Kate's a stickler for
routine and the children
are impeccably behaved.
They may have a nanny
but are still encouraged
to tidy up the playroom.
Kate always insists they eat
their veggies, too, and table
manners were drilled into
them from an early age.”
So, is this the Cambridge’s
family complete? Or will
Kate and William try for
another baby?
We’ll leave it to Kate’s
uncle, Gary Goldsmith,
to have the last word. “She’s
a natural mother,” he has
said. “Will she stop at three?
I doubt it. They are having
such fun with the babies.”
n Royal Babies – a Heir-Raising History by Alison James
is published April 21 by Danann Publishing, priced £20.
Available from all good bookshops or Amazon.co.uk
words: alison james. PICs: rex/shutterstock, alpha press
10 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 11
Alison James

A
healthy garden is
one that teems with
animals and insects,
where the wildlife pollinates
plants and keeps pests at
bay without the need for
chemicals. Here’s our pick of
the best easy-to-grow plants
to entice beneficial insects
and creatures in!
Bounty of
butterflies
Bright, beautiful butterflies
are a sight to behold in
summer, flitting from bloom
to bloom and brightening up
our gardens. They’re known
as a sign of a good quality
of garden life because they
pollinate a range of plants and
their caterpillars are vital food
for baby birds, too.
Certainly some caterpillars
can be troublesome to brassica
crops, but on the other hand
they’ll encourage birds such
as skylarks or goldfinches to
the garden, which will gobble
them up.
Adult butterflies do little
damage and a good tip is to
plant lots of nasturtiums to
lure them away from your
cabbages!
Part 2
Fill your
garden
with
Gardenclippings
Karen Murphy
explains how you can
attract the creatures
that will help your
garden thrive
wildlife
Butterflies like open or clustered blooms in afternoon sunshine, in purple, red, orange, yellow and pink.
Buddleia
weyeriana
You’ll probably have
a B. davidii in your
garden, which is the
best butterfly haven.
This unusual yellowflowered
species
has an intoxicating perfume to pretty
swarms of butterflies.
n Plant hardy potted buddleia in fertile
soil in full sun. Buy the variety ‘Sungold’
Top 3 plants for butterflies
Verbena
bonariensis
With tall purple
bloom clusters.
this is one of the
best plants for
butterflies and
spreads freely.
n Plant it liberally for many summers
of butterflies! It’s versatile and practically
indestructible. Sow indoors now and plant
out in May
Aster novaeangliae
Bright open daisies,
attractive to
butterflies into late
autumn. Look for
symphyotrichum
on the label, its new
official name.
n Plant now in rich, fertile soil, with
compost, in sun, or sow indoors now for
planting out at the end of spring
A-buzz with bees
If you’ve got lots of happy bees in your
garden, you’re doing something right! Be
they bumblebees, solitary bees or honeybees,
they’re a vital part of garden life pollinating
many of our garden plants.
And if the solitary
leaf-cutter bee uses
some of your rose
leaves for its
nests, we can’t
begrudge
them that
after all
their hard
work
pollinating!
Top 3 plants for bees
Bees like a varied menu of shapes and heights,
with blue, purple, yellow or white flowers.
Centaurea scabiosa
Bumblebees adore the native
greater knapweed. The lovely
wild flower is super tolerant of
poor soils, blooms all summer
and self-seeds.
n Sow now or at any time direct
where they are to flower
Borago
officinalis
Borage is excellent
– honeybees are very fond
of its nectar, it’s a tasty herb
for the kitchen and best of all
it looks lovely, with sky-blue
star flowers.
n Sow direct outdoors now in a
sunny sheltered spot
Pulmonaria officinalis
And last of all to add to your
bee plant area is pulmonaria,
or lungwort. It’s a lowgrowing
native perennial
loved by solitary bees that
flowers all spring.
n Buy from garden centres now
and plant in shade
Beauty
of bats
Bats are really active in the garden
now, roosting, producing young and
feeding them. They’re the stars of the
night-time garden, often seen flitting and
swooping, catching many thousands of insects.
Provide a nest box, a tree and a pond and
you’ve given bats all they need. Pipistrelles are the most common
garden bats, and they can eat up to 3,000 insects per night! They
eat and keep down populations of mosquitoes, midges, mayflies
and plenty of other winged insects. Bats rely on trees for food
and shelter and trees rely on them as part of their life cycle.
Ideally you don’t want them to nest in the gables of your
home as they can be noisy and messy! But we need to encourage
them, as their worth is far greater than their pest potential.
A sheltered
position in a
south-facing
garden is
ideal for a
bat box. Bats
need a clear
flight path
and make
sure the box
is at least
15ft from the
ground. Once
positioned,
bat boxes
must not be
moved
Top 3 plants for bats
Trees, plants by ponds and plants that give off a
night scent are favoured by bats.
Evening primrose
Tall plants with large lemonyellow
blooms that open on
summer evenings. The pleasant
scent attracts pollinating
moths – and in turn, bats.
A self-seeding biennial.
n Sow seed now for next year
Cardamine pratensis
A dainty native, known as the
cuckoo flower, that likes moist
areas next to ponds. Attracts
mayflies, which bats love. It
flowers in spring, just when
bats need the food.
n Plant indoors now for next year
Flowering hebes
Hebes attract all sorts of insects
to its purple summer flowers.
They’re evergreen and easy to
grow – all the more reason to
have them in the garden.
n Plant potted hebes now
n Karen writes for Garden News magazine which is packed full
of tips, inspiration, plant and product news and great moneysaving
offers! On sale every Tuesday, or subscribe and try your
first four issues for just £1. Call 01858 438884 or visit www.
greatmagazines.co.uk/YFIG and quote YFIG. T&Cs apply.
104 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 105
PICs: shutterstock, alamy stock photo

good to know
Rise of the
What’s
Snapchat?
Instagran!
Keep up with the world of social media
with our easy-to-follow guide
If your grandchildren, children or friends
are always nagging you to join them
on social media, it can feel like the
safest option to say ‘No, thank you’,
but you might be missing out. “There’s
a misconception that social media is for 18
to 24-year-olds,” says Dawn McGruer, from
Business Consort Digital and Social Media
Academy, “but it’s becoming more popular
with all ages, as people want to reconnect
Find Yours!
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Yoursmagazine
By Lizzy Dening
with old friends and stay in touch
with their grandchildren.”
From finding lost friends to
expressing your creative side, getting
hobby inspiration and staying abreast of the
news, there are lots of advantages to getting
social. With so many different sites to choose
from, it can seem a bit daunting when you try
to get started, but this guide should help you
identify which you’d enjoy.
Facebook
Facebook allows you to connect directly with people,
see their photos and comments and follow brands such
as BBC News, charities and even Yours magazine. It was
originally designed for college students to keep in touch
with one another, but now people from all walks of life
all over the world use it.
“Facebook is the most popular social site for women over 50,”
says Dawn, “People use Facebook for all sorts of different things –
checking event dates, looking at photos and staying in touch with
friends and family. It’s also useful for reconnecting with old school
friends – or even lost loves!
“I like Facebook because it’s very secure – you can change your
privacy settings so that only people you approve can contact you
– and it’s a lovely way of bringing back a sense of local community.
You can follow, or set up, local groups and events about issues that
matter to you.”
n How to stay private: Update your privacy settings to control who can
see what you post and share. Click the downwards arrow in the top right
of your screen, go to ‘Settings’ and you’ll
see ‘Privacy’ down the left-hand side.
Instagram
Think of Instagram as a bit like
your own private gallery. It’s
picture-led, so you can select
your own bank of photos
(making them look even better
by using filters if you wish). Alternatively, you
can just follow friends, brands, and anyone else
you like the look of, to see their photos.
“It’s also easy to stay private,” says Dawn.
“You can come up with a nickname instead of
your real name if you’re shy about putting your
photos out there. It’s a lovely way to showcase
your creative skills.”
n How to stay private: As well as having an
alias name, you can also hide your photos.
Go to your profile, tap ‘Settings’ and turn on
the ‘Private account’ setting. You can also
stay private by just looking at images rather
than creating
your own.
Find Yours!
instagram:
@yours_magazine
Twitter
Twitter allows you to post short
messages (up to 140 characters)
and follow people and companies
to see what they’re saying.
“Twitter is so fast-paced,
it’s the first place to go to for breaking news,”
says Dawn. “It’s also good for keeping up-todate
with companies whose products you like
and you can filter what you see by looking at
particular hashtags (#). For example, searching
#charitytuesday will show people talking about
charities. Or you can search for your favourite TV
show and see what people are saying about it.”
n How to stay private: Manage your security
settings by clicking on the round profile
picture in the top right hand of the screen. This
will bring down a ‘Settings and privacy’ option.
As with Instagram, you don’t need to use your
real name for
your profile.
Find Yours!
twitter:
@yoursmagazine
Pinterest
If you’re constantly busy with
craft projects, cooking up new
recipes or redesigning your
décor, Pinterest could be for you.
It’s basically an online scrapbook,
and you can have as many virtual pinboards as
you like to collect recipes, hobby inspiration or
instructions, nice quotes, cute animal pictures,
haircut inspiration – just about anything.
“The nice thing about Pinterest is that you
don’t have to do anything – you can just browse
other people’s boards,” says Dawn.
n How to stay private: Update your security
settings by clicking the hexagon symbol at the
top of your profile page. You can also
stay private by just looking at images rather
than creating your own boards. Again, you
don’t need to use your real name for your
profile if you
don’t want to.
Find Yours!
PINTEREST:
www.pinterest.co.uk
/yours magazine/
“Snapchat is
mostly used by
teenagers, with
83 per cent of
users aged 25
or under,” says
Dawn. But if your
grandchildren
use it regularly,
or keep talking
about it, all
you need to
know is it’s a
video and
picture app
where sent
images selfdestruct
after
a few seconds!
Snapchat’s main
appeal is the silly
filters that can
be added to pics
that can create
puppy ears, floral
crowns and all
sorts of other
funny effects.
For more tips
on getting
the most from
the internet,
visit www.
yours.co.uk/
getonline
76 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 77
pics: getty images, shutterstock, alamy stock photo

animal rescue
How nature-lover Jennifer
Woodward was moved to
set up a hedgehog hospital
in her garage to rescue these
sadly endangered creatures
Mum-of-two Jen has
always taken in animals
and birds who need her
help to survive
‘I had to save our
hedgehogs’
By Katharine Wootton
Every time Jennifer
Woodward holds a tiny
ball of prickles in her hand
it still amazes her to think
she’s holding a completely
wild animal that has ancestors
stretching back 15 million years.
Despite being generally scared
of humans – though some are more
bolshie than others – these hogs
have found in Jen a friend and a true
hero. For Jen has become a hedgehog
rescuer, looking after and treating
hundreds of hedgehogs in her own
home, after she set up Jen’s Hedgehog
Rescue Corby last year.
“I used to work for the RSPCA and
have always rescued animals, from cats
to birds,”says Jen. But last year when
I got nine hedgehogs in I realised this
was a really big problem and there was
no one to help them in my area, so I
set up a dedicated centre.
“My local community were a
great help and a friend paid for me
to convert my garage into a hog
hospital. Today I have more than
40 hedgehogs in my care.”
With hedgehog numbers having
plummeted in the UK, down to
700,000 compared to 1,550,000 in
1995, Jen finds hedgehogs in all kinds
of situations. The most common,
though, is that they’ve been found
stranded in an enclosed garden,
starved and dehydrated or injured
by road accidents, dog attacks or
garden machinery.
In hoglet season she also welcomes
in whole families whose nests have
been disturbed, as well as orphans
who have wandered and become
disorientated when Mum didn’t
come home.
“As soon as a hedgehog comes in I
rehydrate them and sort out obvious
injuries. I also blanket treat them
for certain parasites and nasties that
hedgehogs are prone to.
“Once I’ve done all I initially can
for them it’s a case of waiting to see if
they’re strong enough to pull through
the next 24 hours.
“With the babies last year I managed
to match them up with nursing mums
as hedgehogs are great at taking on
extra children and luckily can’t count.
So if I get in two five-week-olds and
have a mum already nursing some
of the same age I’ll just give her a
couple of extra babies. As mortality
rate for hoglets is incredibly high in the
wild, for a mum to leave here with five
healthy babies I think she’ll probably
feel quite pleased with herself.”
Despite having had a couple of
hundred hedgehogs under her loving
Volunteer Fiona
Love, right, with
Jen Woodward,
left, who runs the
rescue centre,
are smitten by
these balls of
prickles and do
everything they
can to ensure
their tiny charges
are returned
to the outside
world when
they’re ready
supervision in the last year, Jen insists
each one is memorable for their own
unique personality.
But at the end of the day, Jen’s
ultimate goal is to get them all back to
the wild, ideally to the place they came
from unless that’s a road or somewhere
Did you know? Hedgehogs
are so-called because as they
move through hedges looking
for worms and insects they
make a piggy, grunting noise.
Hence, hedge-hog!
that would put them in danger.
For those still very little and unsure
of themselves, she’ll relocate them to
a garden where someone can provide
a hedgehog house and make sure
they’re eating.
Jen has also treated a few amputees
that she’s placed with people with
enclosed gardens where they can
live out the rest of their lives out of
a cage but in a safe place.
“Letting the hedgehogs go can be
tough because as with all wildlife, you
really want them to go free as that’s
the environment they’re meant to be
in. But because I’m so hands-on with
their care and have hand-fed some of
them round the clock, they are like
my babies. You just have to hope
they stay out of trouble and have a
long, healthy life.”
Jen does this work entirely
‘It’s lovely
to make a
difference’
Volunteer Fiona Love
(62) began helping at
Jen’s Rescue last October,
coming in twice a week
to clean out the cages
and replace food and
drink for the hogs. She’s
been having a great time!
“I think I’m a frustrated
vet at heart, as I love
all animals, so it’s a real
privilege to help Jen
and the hedgehogs,”
she says. “All of the
hedgehogs have
distinctive personalities
and when I come in
and start talking they
all make a noise like
they’re telling me to be
quiet. I’ve learned so
much doing this and it’s
amazing when you see
a hedgehog restored to
health. It’s lovely to do
something for nature
and I take my hat
off to Jen for her
amazing work.”
voluntarily and despite also having
two children she uses much of her
own family’s money to help the
hedgehogs thrive.
“I just can’t bear to see an animal
suffer or to think that this creature
we’re so proud of in the UK might
disappear. I want my children to
grow up still seeing hedgehogs
foraging round their garden at night
and that’s why it’s so rewarding
that I’m able to help them and see
them get better.”
n If you’d like to donate to Jen’s Hedgehog
Rescue Corby please send a cheque to
12 Thwaite Close, Great Oakley, Corby,
Northamptonshire NN18 8FS or visit
www.paypal.me/jenandthehedgies.
You can also contribute to Jen’s Amazon
wish list of resources at www.amazon.
co.uk/registry/wishlist/2AAA9JHRGISG5
26 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 27
PICs: patrick boyd photography. thank you to joules
for providing products for this photoshoot