Hedgehogs need our help, so thank goodness for the great work of The British Hedgehog Preservation Society. They celebrate their 40th anniversary this year and to help mark the occasion we have a great feature by Dianne Boardman in our Special 233. She finds out about the society’s humble beginnings and how you can help the hedgehogs.  

The society has funded a Hedgehog Friendly Campus programme. And this successfully works with schools, colleges and universities to ensure their grounds are hedgehog safe.

“Awards are given each February to those who have made the most progress,” Jo Wilkinson, who runs the project, said.

Hedgehogs Need Our Help

Dianne Boardman asked The University of Greenwich to tell us more about how their Avery Hill campus secured Silver level and how their hard work led to the first hedgehog since 1999.

“I got involved in Hedgehog Friendly Campus because I wanted hedgehogs to move back to our university,” Sophie Elliott, Student Hedgehog Ambassador at Greenwich, said. “As a student, it’s also important to take breaks and be around wildlife.

“We’ve been doing litter picks and raising awareness on social media. I wrote a blog for a student accommodation website about how to make student gardens more Hedgehog Friendly. We’ve checked ponds to make sure hedgehogs can escape them. We’ve also hosted a local nursery on campus where I did a lesson on hedgehogs.”

Hedgehog Homes

David Jackson is a Sustainability Projects Officer at Greenwich. He said, “I got involved to make a difference to a species in need of our help. If we can help bring hedgehogs back, we can do it for other species.

“We’ve installed hedgehog homes, log piles and bug houses as well as a wildflower meadow. So there are plenty of spaces for hedgehogs to rest and nest. Our grounds team know to check for hedgehogs before strimming and now leave some areas wild with fallen leaves and brambles.

“The last reported sighting at Avery Hill that we know of was in 1999. So it was fantastic when the grounds team shared a video of a hedgehog trundling along a path in October 2021. Now, we want to find out where else hedgehogs are across our estate. Plus, we’ll continue enhancing the habitat at Avery Hill with additional shelter and mini meadows, too!”

Copyright of DC Thomson.

Read more about The British Hedgehog Preservation Society’s work here and also in The People’s Friend Special 233, which is on sale now in most major supermarkets and newsagents or to order online. You can also subscribe to the Special to get every issue delivered straight to your door!

You can also find out about how one photographer has been capturing wildlife garden visitors on camera, including hedgehogs here.