A WILDLIFE charity that has saved thousands of sick and injured animals is seeking volunteers to help it open a new hospital.

For the past two years, Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital has been run from a disused chicken shed and desperately needs new accommodation where it can treat the county's feathered and furry residents.

The charity has acquired a site at Newton Tony and is urging more animal lovers to care for the wild patients.

"We really need to expand," said vice-chairman Geoffrey Gray, who looks after the injured owls.

"Already, about half our patients have to be looked after in foster homes because we don't have room.

"We're very excited about having a state-of-the-art hospital to treat them in but we never have enough volunteers."

The charity offers a 24-hour, 365-day-a-year rescue service for sick or injured wild animals.

Its ambulance turns out to several emergency calls every week and the team also has a boat to rescue injured river creatures.

From buzzards to blue tits and grey squirrels to grass snakes, the hospital treats an enormous variety of patients who often have the most horrific injuries.

"It's incredible what these animals can survive," added Geoffrey.

"Often, they have been hit by cars and are very badly damaged, but usually they pull through, with a little patience and tender care.

"We send all the patients to the vet's for the treatment they need and then we nurse them back to health."

The volunteers work tirelessly so that their patients can be released back into the wild near the spots where they were found.

"Many of the animals have to be hand-reared, but luckily, we have people who are prepared to put in that time and effort," said Geoffrey.

"As the animals get stronger, they move to larger pens and have more freedom until they are ready to be released.

"People always ask if we are sad to see them go after all that work but we're not at all - wild animals shouldn't be in cages and it's the most satisfying thing in the world to return them to their proper habitat."

The charity encourages members of the public who report injured animals to help with their release.

"It fantastic to see their reactions when they see the animals returned to full health," said Geoffrey.

"It's hard work but it's very rewarding."

The charity relies on fundraising, and just to care for the animals needs to collect about £17,000 every year through sponsored walks, corporate donations and other events.

It now needs even more help to turn the dream of building a new animal hospital into a reality.

"There are so many ways people can get involved - they can give as much or as little time as they like," said Geoffrey.

"Anyone with building skills, fundraising ideas or just a love of animals can help out.

"You don't need any training - it's amazing how much you can learn through hands-on experience. These are Wiltshire's wild animals and we think it's very important that we look after them."

To find out more, contact Wiltshire Wildlife Hospital, on 01980 629470. To report an injured animal, call 07850 778752.