Wiltshire Wildlife among Harvest Display
Hidden amongst the glorious Harvest flower displays at St Mary's Church Bradenstoke were little wildlife creatures that are regularly seen in Wiltshire. St Mary's displayed the work of the Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital alongside the harvest fayre which captured the imaginations of the many visitors who attended the church Open Day on Saturday 30th September.

Heather Thompson wanted to raise some money for the 'Wildlife Hospital' and 'Make a Wish Foundation' so organised a stall selling children's gifts and home made cakes. With help from her friends Kate and Harry Entwistle and brother James she managed to raise £25.00 which she shared between the two charities.

A visit to the Wildlife Hospital at Newton Tony near Amesbury the following weekend to hand over the money allowed Heather & James to see at first hand the work they do.

The Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital provides a 24 hours advice and rescue service. Injured or sick animals get to them sometimes due to the acts of people, either deliberately or inadvertently, through attacks by other mammals and birds (both domestic and wild), general sickness and as orphans. All mammals and birds taken in are given the same care and attention whether it is a common or rare species.

The longest resident (and now permanent) at the hospital was a Fox who had sustained a head injury early on in life. He could never be released into the wild as he doesn't have any instinctive idea what a fox should do or ability to learn, he lives very happily in a field surrounded by chickens and ducks and never a feather is ruffled!

As it goes in the well loved hymn 'All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things bright and beautiful the lord god made them all'. The church was a wonderful representation of how the plants and animals that make up Wiltshire's nature rich countryside can work and live in harmony.