A COUPLE of disabled spikey characters are looking for homes where they can rebuild their lives after crippling blows.

They are currently in the care of Janis Dean, who runs the Carleton Hedgehog Hospital, but will never be able to survive in the wild.

Janis explained: "Madge suffered a severe head injury and lost both her eyes following a road accident. She's made a remarkable recovery but obviously cannot be released into the countryside. She needs someone who is at home most of the time and can offer her a fully enclosed, quiet, sheltered garden where there are no dogs or children. "Jackie also suffered a severe injury which means he is permanently paralysed on one side of his body. He is quite mobile now, but the paralysis has left him vulnerable and he, too, needs to live out the rest of his life in a fairly large secure garden."

Janis has been inundated with hedgehogs in recent weeks, due to the bad weather and flooding, and would like to hear from anyone who has a rabbit hutch in which they could foster a "hog" until it can be released in the spring. "Every one I can put into foster care releases a hospital cage for another casualty," she said.

She has a volunteer team which helps with collecting, transporting and caring for hedgehogs in the Fylde area, but says more people are always needed. If you can provide a safe haven for Madge or Jackie, would like to sponsor a hedgehog or can offer help in other ways, contact Janis on (01253) 899404.