Bird rescue gets a helping hand

A volunteer animal lover, who received £200 from the council, met Mayor Cllr Martin Heywood to thank him personally for the donation.

Kevin Garten has been volunteering in Hertsmere, and across the south east, for 20 years helping injured or distressed wildlife and in particular birds.

Mayor Cllr Martin Heywood, said: "We value people like Kevin and I am delighted the council is able to support him in this way. Volunteers like Kevin, are a key part of our community, and through their commitment and enthusiasm our borough is a nicer place to live."

Shaz Setoudeh, who works in the parks department, said: "Kevin works borough-wide and we're very lucky to have him support us. He is always willing to come out if we receive calls from members of the public about a wild animal injured or distressed in one of our parks. This is a small contribution towards the magnificent work he does and to thank him for the contribution he makes to our parks and wildlife across Hertsmere."

Kevin's passion for animals means he is on-call 24-hours a day. "I want to help as much as I can. I'll either try to help animals in situ, take them home to care for them or transport them to other animal groups who can offer more long term, specialist care. I am very grateful to the council for their continued support.

"The most common injuries are birds trapped or injured within fishing lines and rubbish, which means they are often in distress in the middle of one of our lakes or ponds. The money has helped me to buy a motorised piece of equipment, which allows me to rescue birds from water with minimal distress of upset to the bird. I'd urge people to dispose of their rubbish properly as animals are often caused unnecessary distress and pain by what we leave behind in parks."

Kevin relies on donations. If you would like to give money please call South Essex Wildlife Hospital on 01375 893893 for more information.