Gloucestershire wildlife hospital founder honoured for services

• Caroline Gould speaks to ITV West Country about her lifelong dedication to wildlife

A woman who founded a wildlife hospital in Gloucestershire has been awarded an MBE for her services to wildlife rehabilitation.

For forty years, Caroline Gould from Tewkesbury has devoted everything to wildlife.

Her passion started in 1984 - when she was given a tawny owl to care for by the local vet.

Soon after, she started using her own home as a wildlife hospital, and spent time saving up for a center of her own.

Now, the Vale Wildlife Hospital in Tewkesbury employs more than thirty staff and takes in around seven and a half thousand sick and injured animals each year.

Caroline has also become a global expert - particularly on hedgehog care- and takes training sessions all around the country.

Speaking to ITV West Country, Caroline said: "One of the things which got to me in the early days was I had no one to turn to to ask for advice and I made a lot of mistakes.

"It's one thing I've always said we will always help out when we can which is why we take training all around the UK and take calls and emails from all over the world."

Speaking on her honour, and the help she receives from the community, she added: "For the last 20 years there have been a lot more people involved than just me.

"So it's an honour for me, not just personally, but for everyone who's been involved in the charity. What they've achieved in that time has been amazing."