Baytree Owl and Wildlife Centre, near Spalding, will welcome a new fox to the centre when it reopens after lockdown

The Government has given the go-ahead for garden centres to reopen, but Baytree Owl and Wildlife Centre, based at the site in Weston, will remain closed for now.

Centre manager Mark Birdsall said it would probably not be until at least July when they would be able to open again.

He posted a heart-wrenching video on Facebook in April asking for help for the centre when the country went into lockdown.

Across the year the centre normally has at least 25,000 visitors. But being unable to operate meant that it would not have the usual income needed to support and feed its animals.

Within 24 hours, however, donations began to fly in to help pay for food for the animals.

In his latest video message on the centre’s Facebook page, Mark said: “We’re sort of comfortable up until probably the end of June, then we start to struggle a little bit as we get into July.

“We had the most amazing response, with donations from some companies who offered to pay for a month’s worth of food. That has seen us through March and April, along with what you guys donated initially.”

Mark is at the centre every day caring for its residents, with the help of his partner Louise Ellis and their boys Oliver (9) and Bobby (4).

And they have recently welcomed in a new member of the family - an eight-week-old tame red fox.

“We have not decided on a name yet, but Basil has been mentioned,” Mark said. The young fox was bred in captivity and is currently settling in at the family’s home near the centre, along with their French Bulldog called Truffle.

“He has a dog crate and a harness for training on a lead,” Mark added.

Visitors to the centre will remember their previous fox, called Hazard, which was also captive bred. While Hazard sadly died, they still have Ruby, a female fox who is used to help educate visitors about the species.