ORPHANED and poorly hedgehogs from Lancashire will benefit from a Christmas fair held on Saturday at St Peter's School, Burnley.

Burnley ranger Kevan Talbot and his wife Tina are hoping for a big turnout at the fair so lots of money can be given to Hedgehog Rescue in Rochdale.

Kevan and Tina run the Burnley side of the centre, collecting hundreds of animals each year and taking them to safety. This year there has been a particular problem because the mild weather has encouraged the hogs to have a second brood and many of the young have not been able to build up enough body weight to hibernate.

Kevan said: "This is our first major fund-raiser and we are hoping many people will come to the school. There are plenty of stalls and games and Father Christmas is also calling in.

"All of the proceeds are going to help orphaned, sick and injured hedgehogs at our hospital which have been collected from all over the Lancashire region."

Rochdale Hedgehog Rescue was founded in 1991 and has just been granted charitable status. The centre had cared for some 1,500 hogs up to July 1997 with three-quarters being released back into the wild.

Next year a major tagging programme is going to be introduced. Kevan and Tina are always collecting food for the hedgehogs. They can be contacted on 01282 459682.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.