A POPULAR wildlife centre has created an outside the box fundraiser.

Oak and Furrows Wildlife Rescue Centre in Cricklade is caging corporates to raise money for injured, sick and orphaned animals.

The fundraiser will be putting local businesspeople inside a box until they raise enough funds for their release.

The Prisoners of Wildlife will be allowed their laptop and phone and will have 12 hours to use their persuasion skills to get colleagues, friends, family and other wildlife supporters to donate and help them reach the target £600 for their release.

Supporters will be able to follow along with live footage via a webcam to see how they are coping in the cage throughout the day.

This will also provide the detainees with an opportunity to share with the public what their business is all about, promote offers, give live demos or do whatever they like to engage and garner the support of their audience.

Annually, Oak & Furrows takes in over 4,500 wildlife casualties and receives between 6,000 to 7,000 telephone calls for help and advice.

The centre is currently housing more than 350 animals, from tiny nestling sparrows to foxes and roe deer, and everything in between.

Anj Saunders from the centre said: “Most animals that come in require vet checks/treatment, food and housing, daily care and cleaning, and all of this comes at a cost.

"The centre costs around £20,000 per month to run and we need to keep improving our facilities all the time.

“Over the winter of 2017-2018 we had around 170 hedgehogs overwintering, but with people gaining more knowledge of the species, recognising if they are too small or weak to hibernate, over the same period of 2018-2019 our overwintering levels rose to 252.”

If the centre continues to see an increase in intakes by this percentage every year, with a greater demand on facilities and finance, they simply will not succeed without the support and generosity of the public and local businesses.

If you own or work for a local business and would like to get involved in the ‘Escape the Cage’ fundraiser, email the fundraising team at fundraising@oandf.co.uk.