In 1961 the late Horace Quick (1891 - 1966), a local artist and wildlife enthusiast, gave Mallydams Wood to us so that the woodland could benefit wildlife.
To help us carry out Horace’s wishes we built a small wildlife rehabilitation centre and, since the doors opened more than 50 years ago, over 35,000 sick, injured and orphaned wild animals have been treated at the centre.
Wildlife Centre
Mallydams Wood Wildlife Centre is equipped to deal with a variety of wild animals, from orphaned fox cubs to oiled birds.
Our staff are very knowledgeable and experienced in the treatment and rehabilitation of wildlife casualties, their release and monitoring their survival in the wild. And of course we’d be lost without our tireless volunteers!
Our facilities include:
- Veterinary examination room and x-ray machine.
- Orphan rearing and treatment areas.
- Specialised oiled bird cleaning facilities.
- Isolation units for larger birds or mammals.
- Rooms for oiled seabirds, growing orphans and areas for washed seabirds and injured birds.
- Pool aviaries for seabirds and water birds.
- Custom-built seclusion aviaries, some with shallow pools.
- Long-term mammal pens with indoor and outdoor areas.
- A deep pool for recovering oiled seabirds and seals.
Woodland
Our 55-acre woodland nature reserve provides a fantastic habitat for all sorts of wild animals. From foxes and badgers to owls, dormice and lizards.
The reserve is looked after by our woodland worker and his marvellous team of volunteers. Most of their work is aimed at maintaining the habitats of these fantastic wild animals and improving public access.
Come and explore the woods during one of our events.
Mallydams Wood is a nationally acclaimed centre of excellence for animal welfare education.
We’ve encouraged thousands of children and adults to develop respect and empathy for animals and their environment through hands-on activities, outdoor exploration, learning through play and fun.
The Hastings Wild Things Project
The Hastings Wild Things is a project run at Mallydams Wood which supports families, children and young people to develop a positive attitude towards personal development, learning and the natural world. Developing self-esteem along with emotional and academic resilience helps families, children and young people realise the potential they have in their own lives and the valuable contributuion they can make to their community. At Mallydams people take part in a vast range of outdoor activities from exploring, playing and adventuring in the woods to building birdfeeders, fires, cooking outdoors and planting trees. All our activities are designed to be achievable and rewarding as well as having a element of discovery and learning.
Keep updated on the Hastings Wild Things project on our Mallydams Facebook page.
Our Education Centre and Woodland
Our comfortable education centre can accommodate both day visitors and whole class/group residentials with 38 beds in cosy bedrooms, a modern classroom with tv/DVD/powerpoint and natural history library. We have a well equipped self-catering kitchen and also a patio and BBQ area for groups who wish to eat al-fresco.
Our Discovery Room is a 3D recreation of the natural habitats to be found around East Sussex. With a woodland, reedbed, farm, seashore and rock pools to explore we have the opportunity to learn about all animals, in all habitats, in all seasons and weathers.
Our 55-acre magical woodland brimming with animal hideaways, quiet places and footpaths to explore sets the scene for wildlife detectives of all ages. Whether searching for animal clues, solving wildlife mysteries or sitting quietly listening to night time noises, Mallydams Wood has a host of experiences to set the senses alive and stimulate an enquiring mind.