New Milton Advertiser 20th Nov 2020

12 · Friday 20th November 2020

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Going the whole hog for prickly friends News

Obituaries

Gordon Tuck Testwood Baptist Church pastor with a passion for sport

THE founder of a children’s hospice who was made an MBE for his charitable work has died aged 84. Christchurch resident Mike Wise set up Julia’s House in 1997, which now has hospices in Corfe Mullen and Devizes and provides support in the com- munity. The charity was the idea of children’s nurse Julia Perks, who died of cancer before she could realise her dream. Mike, a good friend of hers, took up the challenge, registering the chari- ty and naming it after Julia. Along with a small group of supporters Mike got the charity off the ground, fundraising tire- lessly over the years to grow the community nursing team and, in 2006, build Dorset’s only chil- dren’s hospice. Julia’s House chief executive Martin Edwards said Mike was the “pivotal figure” in the histo - ry of the organisation. “He made it happen and would not rest until these vital services for local children were up and running,” he said. “Mike was also the key driver in creat- ing our family support services, as he had personal experience of the huge pressures of being a long-term carer. “He was wise by name and wise by nature, an innovator, always positive, wickedly funny, and a great mentor.” Julia’s daughter Natasha Val- entine, who works for the chari- GORDON Tuck, a hugely re- spected senior pastor of Test- wood Baptist Church in Totton, has died suddenly at the age of 64. An inspirational figure, news of Gordon’s sudden passing was met with an outpouring of goodwill both for his family and community of his church, where he served for 22 years. After arriving at Testwood in 1998 with his wife Janice and their three children, Gordon oversaw significant growth as the congregation expanded from 100 to up to about 600 with a thriving staff team. Known for his wisdom, sense of humour and love for people, Gordon was skilled at explain- ing his belief in how the faith in Jesus Christ applies to every- day life. The Baptist church opened its extended building in Salis- bury Road in 2008, from where Gordon continued to preach to an even wider audience dur- ing lockdown with services streamed online. With restrictions briefly lift - ed, he was delighted to preach to face-to-face for the first time in seven months on 25th Octo- ber, when he was applauded af- ter speaking as passionately as ever. Tragically, Gordon suffered a heart attack two days later and never regained conscious-ness. He died on 7th November. The family have expressed gratitude for the expert care from the intensive care unit staff at Southampton Gener- al Hospital and the knowledge that his legacy lives on through the many lives he touched. Born in Rettendon, Essex, to Paul and Audrey Tuck, Gor- don grew up in Blandford Fo- rum, Dorset, on the farm his dad managed, before moving to Southampton to work for Ord- nance Survey. After working in farm build- ing design, he felt called tomove to “building faith” instead. So in 1979 he started three years of study in applied theology at Moorlands Bible College at Sopley, where he met Janice. They were married in 1982 and began their ministry at Blandford Evangelical Church, Gordon’s home church, where he served as associate pastor for 12 years. That included an invaluable job exchange with a church in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1992. Remarkably, it was made pos-

How a Forest woman turned her home into a hedgehog hospital

ey which I inherited when my mother passed away will be enough to keep us going until I get my pension in two years’ time.” Louise is keen to mention her team of volunteers who visit ev- ery day on a rota system to help with feeding, cleaning out and weighing the hedgehogs. She said: “I just couldn’t do it without the amazing group of mostly older ladies who come in to help. They are all so dedicat- ed and kind. I also have foster carers who I have trained to look after hedgehogs in their own homes if we get too busy.” Louise first started rescuing hedgehogs after responding to a story in the A&T when New Milton Hedgehog Rescue was appealing for foster carers. She said: “I got in touch and that first winter I looked after two hedgehogs, as I was also caring for my mother with de- mentia, so it gave me a bit of an escape. I was hooked straight away – I love hedgehogs and felt I had to do what I could to help them.” She added: “The A&T also makes an excellent liner for hedgehog cages.” Louise spends hours answer- ing emails and phone calls and giving advice on hedgehog care. She is happy to visit gardens when residents contact her with welfare concerns. She said: “There are plenty of things we can all do to help hedgehogs – having a wild area of the garden, leaving out fresh water and making sure there are gaps in fencing will all be beneficial. “Once you have hedgehogs visiting your garden you can feed them with dry cat biscuits or special hedgehog food. Wild hedgehogs are desperately try- ing to fatten up so they can hibernate. With not enough of their natural food available now, they need us to put out food for them.” East Boldre Hedgehog Res- cue is based in Pages Lane. Find it on Facebook or contact Louise on 07595 709617.

BY ROZ WATERS

IT started as a hobby seven years ago after Louise Godden responded to a story in the A&T seeking winter foster car- ers for a pair of juvenile hedge- hogs. Today much of her East Bol- dre home and garden has been transformed into a sanctuary and hospital for sick and in- jured hedgehogs which she re- habilitates and releases into the wild. Louise (64) left her admin job at the Forestry Commis- sion two-and-a-half years ago to care for the creatures full- time. She currently has around 45 hogs in specially converted areas of her two-bedroom bun- galow and garden. She has invested thousands of pounds of inheritance left by her mother on converting her sun lounge, garage and garden into a hedgehog haven. “I don’t really have a maxi- mum capacity because I would always find a space for a hedge - hog that needed help – I could not turn a hedgehog away,” Louise told the A&T. “At last count I had around 45 hedgehogs but they are arriving every day at the moment. I had a family of four come in over the weekend. If they are juveniles I will now have to keep them over the winter before they can be released in the spring.” She explained: “When they first come in, often they need medicine and a high level of care, so they start off in my in- tensive care unit in the lounge. “Next they move into heated cages in the garage and finally I move them outside to a spe- cial enclosure where they can relearn hedgehog skills like dig- ging and foraging before they are released.” Louise was devastated re- cently when a Jack Russell

Gordon and Janice

sible by Gordon’s mum winning them a holiday to Australia via a KitKat competition. “It was an example of God’s amazing provision,” said Jan- ice. “It was going to cost loads of money that we didn’t have, but a letter arrived saying we’d won a 10-day Christmas holiday to Australia. “We thought it was a scam or someone was winding us up, but the prize covered all our costs as a family and we were able to stop over for a year in New Zealand on the way back! “We learnt a lot from a church that had an incredible outreach to its local community.” After returning to the UK, Gordon served for four years as senior pastor of Woodford Bap- tist Church in north-east Lon- don, before the family moved to Totton. There he led his congrega- tion to play a significant role in the local community includ- ing hosting the annual Totton Family Fun Day at Testwood recreation ground, as well as the development of Youth and

A longstanding Rotarian, Mike was awarded the prestig- ious Paul Harris Fellowship by the charity for services to the community. In 2007 when he was awarded his MBE, he said he accepted the honour “on behalf of all the volunteers” at Julia’s House. In 2012, aged 76, he proud- ly carried the Olympic torch through the village of Fontmell Magna, north Dorset, after be- ing picked by the national se- lection panel. In the same year, he undertook a sky-dive from 13,000 feet to raise money for Julia’s House. After playing an active role with the charity for more than a decade, Mike retired from the board of trustees but remained the charity’s life president. He was open about his long battle with Parkinson’s disease, said a spokesperson for Julia’s House, and “bore it with typical stoicism and humour”. Mike was predeceased by his daughters Elspeth and Emma and leaves his sister Ann, daughter Vicky, seven grand- children and two great-grand- children. Funeral details are yet to be confirmed but will be subject to the current restrictions. At the request of his family, a col- lection has been established in Mike’s memory in aid of Julia’s House, to which people can contribute by visiting www.just giving.com/campaign/mikewise Families Matter and the Basics Bank that has served so many people during this difficult year. A passionate family man, Gordon was always keen to talk about his love for Janice, his wife of 38 years, and the rest of his family, including grandchil- dren Olivia, Lewis, Zac, Molly, Isla and Maisie. Sport played a big role in Gordon’s life. As a cricket lover he was chairman of Swan Green Cricket Club for several years and was a lifelong supporter of AFC Bournemouth. Other interests included photography, which he com- bined with his love for the nat- ural world, exploring the local area, walking and holidays in Europe. As well as Janice and his grandchildren, Gordon is sur- vived by his father Paul, brother Ralph, sister Heather, children Neil, Andy and Lindsey, daugh- ter-in-law Laura and son-in-law Andy. A service of thanksgiving for Gordon’s life is planned when gathering restrictions are lifted.

Louise Godden cares for about 45 hedgehogs in her house

jumped the badger-proof fence of her outdoor enclosure on Bonfire Night and attacked sev - en hedgehogs, which all died of their injuries or shock. She said: “It was just a hor- rible, horrible thing to happen because I had cared for those hedgehogs and watched them recover and get stronger until finally they were ready to be outside for the final part of their rehabilitation.” Louise is now making plans to invest more of her savings to in- crease the height of the three-foot fence surrounding the enclosure. She said: “I just love hedge- hogs and it is wonderful when they are well enough to go back to the wild, but it is very costly. “I haven’t even really worked out how much I spend – I’m a little afraid to know the answer. But it is worth every penny.

“I don’t have holidays and I don’t buy new clothes or maga- zines – but I’m very happy. It is the choice I’ve made.” Under normal circumstances, Louise gets some financial sup - port from giving several talks a year and also has volunteers who arrange charity events on her behalf. She is supported by Seadown Vets at Hythe who give free consultations and only charge for medicine. Once a common feature in Britain, in July the hedgehog was officially classified as vul - nerable to extinction. Louise said: “The pandem- ic has meant that our normal fundraising could not take place this year – but I have to keep going. “We have had some very kind support from individuals and I’m just hoping the mon-

Specimen Plant & Tree Nursery based in Sway, New Milton

MikeWise Founder of Julia’s House ‘left a truly remarkable legacy’

STILL OPEN TO SUPPLY AMAZING PLANTS AT WHOLESALE PRICES

ty as its charity shopmanager in Poole, said: “His achievements have helped many families in need and he has left a truly re- markable legacy.” Mike achieved a great deal in the community throughout his life, including being chairman of Poole Council for Voluntary Service and a non-executive director of South East Dorset Primary Care Trust, chairing its palliative care group. Mike wearing his MBE medal after the ceremony

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13 th NOVEMBER 2020 ANswERs quiz answers

1. Doncaster 2. Tiber 3. Pride and Prejudice 4. 1/36 5. 14

6. Luke 7. Dog 8. samuel 9. Fool’s good 10. Napoleon

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