Sharon Longhurst, one half of the team behind Burntisland Hedgehog Haven, got quite the surprise when David Torrance MSP arrived at the couple’s doorstep to present the organisation with their Animal All Star award.
Commenting, co-founder Sharon Longhurst said: "Huge surprise this morning when David Torrance MSP came into the rescue to present us with our UK Animal All Star Award 2024!
"I knew nothing about this being planned so was a lovely surprise! I did wonder why the award hadn’t arrived in the post and had started to fret it had got lost.
"Thank you so much to Mary (the founder and organiser of the Animal Star Awards) for arranging this lovely surprise and to Andy for helping to make it happen."
Burntisland Hedgehog Haven was founded in 2021 after Sharon and Andy Longhurst found a hedgehog in need of help and had to travel a long distance to get it looked after. A few weeks later, upon finding another hedgehog, the couple decided they needed to do something to help.
Since 2021, they have developed their organisation step by step, fundraising for supplies and sundries, building up a network of volunteers and overcoming the many regulatory hurdles to make their dream a reality.
David Torrance MSP stated: "I am so pleased to see Burntisland Hedgehog Haven receive the recognition they deserve. They have gone from strength to strength since opening their doors three years ago. Their dedication to helping this ‘near threatened’ species is commendable and I congratulate them on their award and continued good work in the community."
The Animal Star Award give recognition to organisations and individuals that go the extra mile to look after animals in their local area. The award of Animal All Star is the top award given by the organisation.