Having your first child is enough to leave any expectant mother feeling stressed and anxious but for one woman in Great Chishill, the pressure is really mounting as a staffing crisis means she is still working full-time at her rabbit rescue centre despite being due to give birth in just 10 weeks

Royston Crow: She has been running The Rabbit Residence Rescue for 20 years.She has been running The Rabbit Residence Rescue for 20 years. (Image: Archant)

Caroline Collings has run The Rabbit Residence Rescue in the village for 20 years, and arranged for volunteers to help cover her maternity leave.

“After running the rescue since I was 16 – working 14 hours a day, six days a week, sacrificing human relationships and the chance of a family – I have this year found love and am expecting a baby,” she said.

“We thought we had staffing sorted, so I could take maternity leave but we have been let down.”

Caroline’s partner is in Jamaica currently unable to get a visa and she will be going there in March to visit him.

“I’m panicking, scared and still working full-time doing physical jobs with only one assistant,” she said.

The centre is currently home to 128 rabbits, most are available for re-homing and some stay permanently because of special needs.

“I will always be passionate about helping owners and bunnies which is why I need to secure the centre’s safety for the next six months to one year,” said Caroline.

“We constantly rely on public donations and now are urgently looking for people to work full-time or part-time to help with the hands-on labour, medication, feeding and special diets, and customer care.”

To contact Caroline email rabbit_residence@hotmail.com or go to www.rabbitresidence.org.uk.