IRIS Charity Days – Wildlife Aid Foundation

This week, a dozen employees from our Product and Marketing teams convened in a grassy field in the heart of Surrey to take part in a charity day, assisting Wildlife Aid in clearing a 19-acre expanse of land to prepare for the relocation of their HQ. 

In what proved to be one of the hottest days of the year so far, the IRIS employees strimmed, sawed and raked their way from one side of the field to the other (being extra careful not to disturb any natural habitats, of course).

Wildlife Aid was founded in 1980 by Simon Cowell (no, not that one) as a small, local wildlife rescue centre, but has since grown into one of the UK’s leading environmental and animal welfare organisations.

The centre is dedicated to the rescue, care and rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned animals, and operates Surrey’s only wildlife hospital - one of the largest in the UK. If you think it rings a bell, that could be because you’ve seen it on TV’s Wildlife SOS, which Simon himself hosts.

The hospital deals with tens of thousands of wildlife incidents every year, returning approximately 70% of treated animals to the wild, and many of their achievements are only made possible thanks to the 300+ volunteers helping them to provide an all-year round service.

The purpose of the relocation to a new site (just around the corner from the old one) is so that the foundation can expand its state-of-the-art facilities (which currently include two operating theatres, a pathology lab and an intensive care unit) to include a new, technologically eco-friendly complex that will house their educational programmes.

You can make a difference

It was a pleasure and a privilege to play a small part in the preparations for Wildlife Aid’s big move, and we wish them all the best for the future.

If you’d like to help out, they’re always on the lookout for more volunteers. The centre is in Leatherhead and easily accessible by car - Leatherhead rail station is also nearby.