Pupils build prickly pals safe homes
TO celebrate Hedgehog Awareness Week earlier this month, a homebuilder donated resources for hedgehogs to a Derbyshire school to support the preservation of the beloved creatures.
Following the awakening of hedgehogs from hibernation in March and April, Barratt Homes recognised the need to provide safe havens for these spiky residents. The donation of five hedgehog homes was gifted to Whaley Bridge Primary School in Whaley Bridge, based close to the homebuilder’s Midshires Meadow development.
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has been a vocal advocate for the protection of hedgehogs, stressing the importance of initiatives like this donation in combating their population decline.
In response to the call to action by the society to create hedgehogfriendly environments, the housebuilder took a proactive step by working with Woodlea Junior School to ensure the safety of local hedgehogs.
Seren Hathway, head at Whaley Bridge Primary, said: “One of the core drivers of the Whaley Bridge curriculum is for our learners to be ‘Caring and Green’ - as part of this, we focus on how we can look after our local wildlife.
“We often see hedgehogs in our wonderful grounds so we were delighted to be gifted these hedgehog homes which will support both our learning about wildlife and their habitats, and our spiky friends themselves.”
As reported by The Guardian, the number of hedgehog sightings in the UK is slowly on the rise, after years of decline. Since 2000, the numbers had fallen by an estimated 30-75% across various areas of the countryside, but an increase of 2% in the last year suggests an improvement, and it’s up to UK residents to ensure it stays that way.
Alan Watt, head of sales at Barratt Homes Manchester, said: “We believe that every inhabitant of our communities deserves a safe and nurturing environment, including our prickly friends.
“We hope our donation will give local hedgehogs protection and a safe home at Whaley Bridge Primary School, whilst also encouraging the pupils to consider the wildlife near their own homes.”