In 1971 a juvenile Sparrow fell into the goldfish pond at Dennis Fenter's house in Rustington, West Sussex, and found itself unable to struggle out. Dennis, alerted by his dog barking at this strange "fish", scooped the baby bird out, dried it off, and set about hand rearing it. After nursing the tiny scrap back to full health, it was eventually released back into the wild.

Little did Dennis dream just what far reaching results such an action would have! Later that year he was presented with an injured blackbird "as he must know about birds", and again managed to return it to the wild.

Soon after followed other sick and injured birds, arriving at Dennis's door in need of his ever increasing expertise. From those first two small incidents, Brent Lodge was born.

In 1978 Brent Lodge became a charitable trust. The intake of birds, and also small mammals which soon followed, grew beyond anything that could have been envisaged from such small beginnings.

It soon became obvious that a private house was far too small to cope with the swelling numbers of patients, and even Dennis's new larger house and garden was soon swamped by patients. During 1985/6 Dennis decided to sell his house and look for a property that could be developed into a purpose-built wildlife hospital.

Dennis found the ideal site in Sidlesham, West Sussex. A large barn, a couple of big sheds and an old half bricked cowshed, together with one and three-quarters of an acre of land, proved to be the perfect choice.

From this humble beginning has arisen the splendid building complex that now houses the hospital, surgery, wash room for oiled birds, staff room, office, and the warden's quarters.

Whilst the conversion was taking place, all the patients had to be housed in a large wooden hut. Just before Christmas 1991 the construction work was completed, and Dennis Fenter welcomed Patrick Moore, a vice-president of the trust, to open the new buildings. The old wooden hut is now a display area, tearoom and gift shop, used for raising funds on our thrice weekly open weekends.

In addition to the main buildings, a number of outdoor pens and aviaries were also built to house recuperating patients. With all it's attendant medical and surgical facilities, Brent Lodge is now one of the finest wildlife hospitals in the country.

In June 1998, Dennis Fenter's contribution to wildlife rescue was formally recognised when he was awarded the M.B.E. for his outstanding services to injured birds and wildlife through Brent Lodge.

Currently, the hospital receives around 3,000 patients every year, and the number is steadily increasing.