Meet the team behind the care
The reputation and success of Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre is built on the dedication of the people who make up our team. Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, we rely on a passionate group of staff and volunteers to ensure every injured or orphaned animal receives the care it needs, while also keeping the charity running behind the scenes.
Caroline Gould MBE
Founder
To care for the thousands of animals that arrive each year, our wildlife hospital has grown into a specialist centre designed to meet the needs of many different species. Today, we admit more than 8,000 wildlife casualties every year, from small garden birds and hedgehogs to owls, foxes and deer.
Natalie Gould
HR/Admin Manager
Our facilities include a fully equipped treatment room, specialist areas for different species, and brooder rooms for vulnerable young animals. As they recover, many patients move to outdoor aviaries and rehabilitation enclosures where they rebuild strength and prepare for release back to the wild.
Jeff Wood
Education Officer
Jeff joined the Vale team as “summer staff” in May 1997 after returning from overseas, where he had been working with horses.
Over the years, he has taken on a wide range of roles within the charity, including wildlife care assistant, manager, trustee, volunteer, and charity shop sales assistant. He now works part-time as Vale’s Education Officer, a role he greatly enjoys.
Jeff is proud of Vale’s high standards of animal care and has contributed to developing its training programs, policies, and procedures. He strongly believes that education and training are key to maintaining high standards of animal welfare across the wildlife rehabilitation sector, making his role both exciting and fulfilling.
An Interesting fact about Jeff:
He was a paramedic for 12 years (alongside being a trustee).
Matt Stritch
Education Assistant
Matt joined Vale in 2024 as Education Assistant. His role includes delivering talks about the charity’s work to community groups and schools, helping inspire interest in wildlife from a young age.
He also supports the Education Officer with wildlife courses across the UK and occasionally works on Vale’s on-site nature reserve.
Matt enjoys engaging with people and sharing the importance of conservation and education.
An Interesting fact about Matt:
He was once slapped by a green turtle while helping free it.
Matt Stritch
Education Assistant
Matt joined Vale in 2024 as Education Assistant. His role includes delivering talks about the charity’s work to community groups and schools, helping inspire interest in wildlife from a young age.
He also supports the Education Officer with wildlife courses across the UK and occasionally works on Vale’s on-site nature reserve.
Matt enjoys engaging with people and sharing the importance of conservation and education.
An Interesting fact about Matt:
He was once slapped by a green turtle while helping free it
Our patrons
Black Sabbath founding member & lead guitarist.
Wildlife film maker
Wildlife TV Presenter
Wildlife Osteopath
Wildlife Artist
Writer, ecologist and self-confessed hedgehog fanatic
TV Vet