Couple build hedgehog hospital and themed bar for less than £100 in Cleveleys back garden
A wildlife-loving DIY enthusiast from near Blackpool built a themed bar for less than £100 using recycled materials, and then put his skills to a new challenge - building a hedgehog hospital.
Meet the recycling-mad couple who have transformed their back garden into a relaxing haven, both for wildlife and themselves.
Annette and Rick Blagden now enjoy a holiday lifestyle all year round, with a custom-built themed bar and even an outdoor hot tub.
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But DIY enthusiast Rick has also used his talents to help injured wildlife, and built a hedgehog hospital so his wife could care for spiky critters in need.
Inspired by Clarkson’s Farm
Rick was first inspired by watching Clarkson’s Farm on TV, and when a friend was throwing out an old shed he spotted an opportunity.
“He was going to throw it out, and I said I’d have it and make a bar out of it. He said ‘you’re joking’, and I said I’d prove it to him. So I did.”
Pallet wood project cost £100
Rick took up woodworking as a hobby around 20 years ago, and said it helps him to relax and also he ‘hates throwing anything away’.
The bar is themed around his wife’s favourite animal - hedgehogs - with cute signs, ornaments, pint and wine glasses.
It contains a mini-fridge that he rescued from a skip, and is reinforced with pallet wood.
He estimates that the whole project cost him less than £100. Rick adds: “The shed alone would cost £400 brand new, and I got that for free. I feel blessed that I’m able to this.”
DIY hot tub
The couple also enjoy spending time in their hot tub, which is under a wooden gazebo also made out of pallet wood. He says: “You feel like you’re on holiday. Especially after a hard day at work, we love to relax in the hot tub.”
Hedgehog hospital
And when his wife Annette kept coming across critters in need, he put his woodworking skills to a new challenge - a hedgehog hospital.
The animal-loving couple have helped to rehabilitate wild hedgehogs before they go to be rehomed.
“Some of them needed roundworm treatment. Some are just very cold and need warming up with fluids.”
To find out more about hedgehog rescue or to adopt a hedgehog visit https://www.happyquillsrescueandrehoming.co.uk/